MDC Secretary for International Affairs Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro confirmed that Mbeki plunged directly into the negotiations by heading straight into consultations with the political leadership in the country, both from Zanu-PF and the two factions of the MDC.
Mukonoweshuro said Mbeki’s visit was part of an attempt to provide a kiss of life to the seemingly endless mediation talks. Amid concern that only weeks are left to save the talks, the MDC chief of Foreign Affairs told us he believed Mbeki’s stopover mission was to put pressure on the main protagonists to settle their differences, before he headed off to the Commonwealth summit in Uganda.
Despite intense negotiations in the last month, the negotiators from both parties have failed to reach a concrete outcome on electoral rules, security legislation, and the overall political climate.
With pressure mounting on Mbeki to push the two sides to reach a settlement before next month, the negotiating teams now have a matter of weeks to agree on the modalities that would meet the standards required for a free and fair election in 2008.
Later at a press conference Mbeki said he was confident the mediation efforts between Zanu-PF and the MDC would produce a solution to the country’s political crisis.
He said the talks went well despite the differences between the two parties. Tendai Biti the secretary-general of the Tsvangirai MDC said they told Mbeki Zanu-PF were not serious in coming up with a solution to the country’s crisis.
In a separate press conference Biti said; ‘We told him Zanu-PF is in denial about the need for change in the country and that they have not bothered to reign in their supporters in so far as violence is concerned.’
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai revealed in Kampala, Uganda on Wednesday that the talks had stalled over the ruling party’s reluctance to repeal repressive laws like POSA and AIPPA. The opposition in turn threatened that its participation in next year’s elections would be subject to the repealing and implementation of key agreements concerning the voters’ roll and the reform of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Other key demands by the opposition include international monitoring and observation of the elections by SADC, the African Union and the United Nations and a transparent delimitation exercise of all constituencies.
The SADC process, already five months behind schedule because of the continued intransigence of the Zanu-PF negotiators, has forced the South African President to become directly engaged in the talks.
Eddie Cross, the MDC’s policy co-coordinator, believes Mbeki is anxious to try and get a final agreement before the European Union-Africa Summit in Lisbon, Portugal next month. Sources say Mbeki wants to attend the December EU-Africa with a comprehensive and positive report on the talks.
‘This is a very strategic moment in the whole process, any further delays will put the March election date in jeopardy,’ Cross said.
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