Zimbabwe GPA Talks to Resume

Comrade President Robert Mugabe swearing in 25 ministers of state and deputies for the inclusive government in the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

GPA talks resume tomorrow

Herald Reporters

ON the eve of Zimbabwe’s political parties resuming their talks, the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security has urged the parties to reach full implementation of the Global Political Agreement.

The negotiating team of Cde Patrick Chinamasa and Cde Nicholas Goche (Zanu-PF), Mr Tendai Biti and Mr Elton Mangoma (MDC-T), Professor Welshman Ncube and Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC) will tomorrow be meeting for the first time this year after a month-long break.

In a communiqué issued after the Double Troika summit of Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique on Thursday, the Troika hailed South African President Jacob Zuma’s efforts in helping the parties.

“Summit noted with appreciation efforts of the Sadc facilitator in assisting Zimbabwe to fully implement the Global Political Agreement and urged the parties to implement decisions made.”

Speaking during the meeting, Sadc chairman and DRC President Joseph Kabila reiterated Sadc’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to the political and security challenges facing Lesotho, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

The summit expressed deep concern over the stalemate in the negotiations to return Madagascar to constitutional order.

The Troika maintained the suspension of Madagascar from Sadc organs, structures and institutions calling upon the African Union and United Nations to apply similar suspensions.

The Troika urged the parties in Madagascar to continue dialogue for a lasting solution to their political crisis.

Efforts to reach Cde Goche and Cde Chinamasa were unsuccessful yesterday.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa said his party expected negotiators to bring to finality the discussions.

He said the talks should come to an end at the weekend to enable people to focus on issues of nation building.

“Because of the uncertainty and lack of sustainability of the inclusive Government on the basis of the absence of the certainty on how this process will end, we have affected business, planning at household level, education and the health sector,” said Mr Chamisa while addressing a Press conference in Harare.

However, Prof Ncube dismissed the possibility of concluding the outstanding issues in a day.

He said negotiations were an ongoing process and the nation should not expect them to be completed in a single day.

“We have not met for a month and that has given us enough time to consult our political parties on the way forward but I want to tell the nation that it is not possible to complete the whole process in one day.

“We have consulted our parties but we don’t now whether the parties are now ready to make some compromises to bridge their differences,” said Prof Ncube.

He said the negotiators would address all the issues raised by the political parties.

The resumption of the talks on the GPA, which gave birth to the inclusive Government, is expected to focus on more than 20 issues raised by the three parties.

Zanu-PF has cited illegal economic sanctions and pirate radio stations as the major outstanding issues in the full implementation of the GPA.

The MDC-T lists the appointment of provincial governors and the swearing in of Roy Bennett as the Deputy Agriculture Minister. But President Mugabe says he will swear him in if he is acquitted on charges of possessing dangerous weapons and inciting acts of terrorism and insurgency.

Zanu-PF and MDC-T also disagree over the appointment of Attorney-General Mr Johannes Tomana and reappointment of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono in the interval between the signing of the GPA and the formation of the inclusive Government.