New Zimbabwe government by end of February

• Tsvangirai stands by threat to quit talks - party

• SA says arrests should not delay unity government

• US, UK plans to torpedo unity government draw fire

• US withdraws support for unity government

• Tsvangirai's remarks at Gaberone press briefing

• Tsvangirai threatens to quit unity government talks

• In letter, Mugabe appoints Tsvangirai Prime Minister

• Alfi Nyoni: Why Tsvangirai must join government

• Mugabe tells supporters to be ready for new elections

• Post Editorial: Tsvangirai pushing his luck too far

• Zambian newspaper lashes Tsvangirai, warns of 'shifting tide of public opinion'

• Document: Tendai Biti's letter to Mbeki

• Negotiators strike agreement on Constitutional Amendment No. 19

• Talks threatened as Mbeki, Tsvangirai trade barbs

• Text: statement by South Africa cabinet on Zimbabwe

• Document: SADC communique on Zimbabwe, DRC

Posted to the web: 05/01/2009 01:34:11
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has started a month-long annual leave, which could delay the formation of a government which a spokesman said was being prepared by the veteran leader.

Mugabe has fired nine ministers and three deputy ministers from his Zanu PF party who lost their seats in the March parliamentary elections.

It was the clearest sign yet that he may act on his threat to form a new government without the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions.

But by going on leave for the next four weeks, Mugabe may only be ready to form the new government from early February.

“This is more of a retreat than actual leave. The President is very busy ... working on structures of an inclusive government which must come too soon,” George Charamba, Mugabe’s spokesman, told the state-owned Sunday Mail.

In its online edition on Monday, the state-run daily Herald newspaper said “a government was most likely to be in place by the end of February by which time it is expected that the three parliamentary political parties would have passed Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill and President Mugabe would have signed it into law.”

Mugabe traditionally spends his annual leave in the Far East but Charamba said the 84-year-old leader would only spend a small part of his leave outside Zimbabwe.

Mugabe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, who heads a MDC splinter faction, signed a power-sharing pact on September 15 but it has been held up by a row over cabinet posts.

Under the deal, Mugabe would remain president and Tsvangirai would become prime minister. But Tsvangirai’s MDC says a new government cannot be formed because Mugabe allocated powerful ministries to his Zanu PF and relegated the MDC to a junior partner.

Rejecting an invitation from Mugabe to join government last week, Tsvangirai demanded a meeting with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe and Mugabe to “iron out these (outstanding) matters to the satisfaction of all parties.”

Tsvangirai, who left Zimbabwe on November 9, was in South Africa this week on a “diplomatic mission”, according to party officials. MDC sources say he is expected in Zimbabwe later this week.
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