“Tsvangirai still doesn’t have a passport, he travelled to the summit on emergency documents,” said a western diplomat. “That is another manifestation of the clear lack of desire of Zanu (PF) to work with the MDC.”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed disappointment over the outcome of the SADC summit. “The international community is quite clear that it expects an equitable agreement on the allocation of ministries between Zanu (PF) and the MDC,” said the spokesman. “The longer there is a delay in appointing a cabinet, the more difficult it will be for Mugabe and Zanu (PF) to convince the world of their commitment to the September 15 agreement.” The US State Department deputy spokesman, Robert Wood, told reporters that the SADC proposal only served to reinforce Mugabe’s grip on power. “The US government is very disappointed by the outcome of the discussions on Zimbabwe at the SADC summit.”