Motlanthe tells Tsvangirai to end boycott

ADVICE: Motlanthe has told Tsvangirai to end boycott

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Posted to the web: 24/10/2008 12:45:29
SOUTH African President Kgalema Motlanthe on Friday urged Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai not to boycott talks on forming a cabinet and said only more dialogue would break an impasse.

"When you seek a solution to a problem, you talk to those that you disagree with," Motlanthe said on SABC radio. "You can't make peace with your friends. You make peace with your enemies, your adversaries."

"...The niggling problems can only be addressed by following this process of dialogue."

The MDC warned on Tuesday that Tsvangirai could boycott next Monday’s regional summit in Harare aimed at rescuing a power-sharing deal, saying an election may be needed to break the deadlock over control of cabinet seats in a new government.

But the party appeared to backpedal furiously from that position on Friday, with spokesman Nelson Chamisa saying the summit presented “a special window of opportunity to state our compelling case for the equitable distribution of key ministries under the power sharing agreement.”

Tsvangirai, set to become prime minister, has accused President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF of trying to seize the lion's share of “key” ministries under a power-sharing deal which was signed on September 15 but has since stalled.

The MDC leader snubbed an emergency Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Swaziland this week that was to address the issue, citing Harare's refusal to give him a new passport.

The summit was rescheduled for October 27 in Harare. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has been mediating talks.

The power-sharing deal is seen as Zimbabwe's best hope for halting a devastating economic meltdown marked by the world's highest inflation and acute shortages of food and fuel. - Staff Reporter/Reuters
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