HARARE Zimbabwes feuding political parties have submitted a commitment plan to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a development praised by the European Union as a positive step forward in attempts to ensure progress in faltering negotiations to resolve a power-sharing dispute. The Council of the European Union said last week that the hand-over of the global political agreement (GPA) Commitment Plan by the Zimbabwe government constituted a basis for a continued political dialogue among the parties. Sources said the commitment plan was submitted this month to the three-member mediation team appointed by South African President Jacob Zuma to facilitate in the dispute between Zanu (PF) and the two formations of the Movement for Democratic Change.
Zuma is the SADC point-man in the power-sharing dispute between the three Zimbabwean parties. Zumas mediation team, headed by former cabinet minister Charles Nqakula, is said to have demanded assurances on the implementation of agreed outstanding GPA issues from President Robert Mugabes Zanu (PF) party, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais MDC-T and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambaras MDC-M party when the team met negotiators on February 8.
The EU council met in Brussels on February 22 and endorsed the decision to extend travel restrictions and an asset freeze against members of the Zanu (PF) inner circle which was made two weeks by the European bloc. It praised progress achieved by Zimbabwes coalition government after one year in office, in particular in the economic sphere and welcomed agreement by the signatories to the GPA to establish three commissions dealing with human rights, electoral and constitutional reforms.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara formed a coalition government nearly a year ago to end a political crisis following an inconclusive election. The government has done well to stabilise Zimbabwes economy and end inflation that was estimated at more than a trillion percent at the height of the countrys economic meltdown.
But unending bickering between Zanu (PF) and MDC-T as well as the coalition governments inability to secure direct financial support from rich Western nations have held back the administrations efforts to rebuild the economy.
The parties cannot agree on appointment of senior administration officials as well as implementation of key political reforms such as security sector reforms. Mugabe has also refused to swear in Tsvangirais ally Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister, insisting that the MDC-T official must first be cleared of terrorism charges he is currently facing.
Bennett denies the charges which the MDC-T says are trumped-up and meant to harass its officials.
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