SADC leaders claim breakthrough, MDC says no deal

ACTION: Motlanthe welcomes Mugabe to an extraordinary SADC summit on Zimbabwe in Pretoria on Monday

SUMMIT: Motlanthe welcomes Mugabe to an extraordinary SADC summit on Zimbabwe in Pretoria on Monday

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Posted to the web: 27/01/2009 10:39:11
A SUMMIT of Southern African leaders on Tuesday gave President Robert Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai until mid-February to form a unity government.

Marathon talks of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Pretoria sought to end a deadlock over the allocation of key posts that has stalled the implementation of a September power-sharing deal.

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the SADC bloc, was confident the summit had achieved a breakthrough in the four-month stand-off but Tsvangirai did not immediately commit to the new timeline.

Reading a final statement after 14 hours of talks, SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salomao said Tsvangirai should be sworn in as Prime Minister by February 11 with cabinet ministers following two days later.

"Yes, of course," Motlanthe told reporters when asked if the Zimbabwe rivals had agreed to the latest deal.

"They will present themselves on the set date for the swearing-in and then proceed to form the government."
But Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the summit had achieved less than it had hoped.

"Quite clearly, the conclusions reached as reflected in the communique fall far short of our expectations," the party said in a statement.

"It is important that finality be brought to this issue and therefore our national council will meet this weekend to define the party position."

The summit of the 15-nation SADC bloc was the latest in a series of regional efforts to force a resolution to the crisis in Zimbabwe, where the population is battling extreme poverty as well as a recent cholera epidemic.

Mediated talks last week in Harare collapsed in acrimony with Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF threatening to go ahead and form a new government unless the Pretoria summit found a way to end the dispute.

Although the SADC timeline appears to be a step forward, one expert stressed it was still to be agreed by both parties and noted there was little to bind 84-year-old Mugabe to the deal.

"The decisions look promising but the big challenge is implementation," said Dirk Kotze of the University of South Africa.

"SADC is just a body of states and none of its decisions are binding. If any of the parties reneges on the SADC recommendations, then we are back to square one."

Following the summit, SADC called on negotiators from both parties to meet and discuss the outstanding issues to be resolved.

These included a Bill the MDC has submitted on the setting up of a national security council, as well as a formula for the distribution of provincial governorships.

SADC members concluded that the contentious Home Affairs ministry, with power over the security forces, should be co-shared and reviewed six months after the new government was inaugurated.

The MDC, which accuses the security forces of carrying out a campaign of post-election violence against Tsvangirai's supporters, has flatly rejected any proposals to share the portfolio.

March's first round presidential election, in which Tsvangirai placed first but did not win an outright majority, was followed by a brutal wave of political violence.
Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off, citing violence against his supporters, leaving Mugabe to declare a one-sided victory in June. - AFP
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