Mbeki has been the sole mediator on the Zimbabwe crisis and the MDC is insisting that an additional mediator be appointed to work with the SA President, who is accused of favoring ZANU PF.Â
Meanwhile, the National Executive Committee of the Tsvangirai MDC met on Thursday for a briefing on the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreed upon by the main political parties, but waiting for signing. The MOU lays out conditions for talks that are supposed to lead to a resolution of the crisis.
It was impossible to get clarification on what was actually discussed by the executive committee. But party insiders say although the party agrees in principle with the draft MOU, fully-fledged negotiations should only start when demands for an end to state sponsored violence are met and there is clarification from the African Union on the issue of an additional facilitator.
Violence is continuing, although all three parties agreed to put a clause in the MOU for an immediate end to the violence. The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition reported that 14 MDC supporters were assaulted and villagers were forced to flee their homes in Headlands, Manicaland on Tuesday while more than 30 MDC youths were arrested for distributing fliers in Bulawayo on Thursday. Other members of the MDC executive committee gave reports on the level of violence in their areas during Thursday’s meeting in Harare.