The three principals to the Global Political Agreement will meet on Monday next week to push for the conclusion of all outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement.A highly placed source in government told us that before Mugabe left for his New York trip, the principals agreed to deal with the issues on his return. Mugabe is back in the country and on Wednesday chaired the weekly cabinet meeting.
They dont discuss GPA issues in cabinet but they will meet on Monday where remaining issues in the GPA will top the agenda, our source told us.
James Maridadi, Morgan Tsvangirais spokesman, confirmed the three leaders will meet next week but would not confirm what they would discuss.
In the last two months Mugabe has reneged on a number of promises, all the while insisting that it is the MDC who has not honoured the pledges in the power sharing agreement. But it is Mugabe who has delayed appointing provincial governors from the MDC formations, backtracked on swearing in Roy Bennett and who has flaty refused to reverse the appointments of the Reserve Bank governor and Attorney-General.
Mugabe has been telling his supporters that the MDC-T is not doing enough to influence its allies to lift targeted sanctions which, along with the closure of external radio stations, remain the only outstanding issues as far as he is concerned. . The sanctions were slapped on him and selected members of his previous government in 2002, for human rights violations and vote rigging.
Last week in New York Mugabe all but conceded that targeted sanctions against him wont be lifted anytime soon. He told Reuters news agency that he was giving the U.S. Obama administration time to lift the sanctions, saying he did not expect immediate action.
The ZANU PF leader said he was giving time to the Obama administration to make their decision, which he said they inherited from George W. Bush. He said of Obama; They found them (targeted sanctions) on his desk and we dont expect him to get rid of them that quickly.
The European Union said recently it will not remove sanctions targeting Mugabe and his loyalists, or resume development aid, until more is done to implement the year-old power-sharing agreement and restore human rights.
Political analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga said Mugabe is now aware that he has no valid excuse to delay implementing the GPA in full.
When the SADC summit met in the DRC early this month, they gave him a stay of execution by supporting his call to lift sanctions on the basis that he will go back home and implement the GPA. He has not done that and Im sure there are leaders in the region who are putting pressure on him to deliver on his promise, Mhlanga said.
He added; The ball is now in his court because its clear the western nations will not budge until he introduces more reforms, Mhlanga said.
Post published in: News