Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Itai Musengeyi
20 October 2008
Ezulwini — PRESIDENT Mugabe arrived here yesterday evening to attend a meeting of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security which will try and break the deadlock over the allocation of ministries between Zanu-PF and the opposition MDC today.
He was met at the airport by the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Mozambique and Swaziland, Cde Agrippah Mutambara.
Zanu-PF negotiators Cdes Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche and senior Government officials, including Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, accompanied the President.
Sadc-appointed broker Mr Thabo Mbeki will present a report of his facilitation to the Troika.
The principals of the three main political parties -- President Mugabe of Zanu-PF, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and Professor Arthur Mutambara of the other MDC formation -- will then present their positions and clarify any issues raised in the report.
Swaziland is the current chair of the organ, which includes Angola and Mozambique, and the body will facilitate an agreement on the allocation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which those close to the talks say is the remaining hurdle.
On Saturday Cde Chinamasa said the Troika would only help facilitate an understanding between the three parties and not impose any position.
The inter-party talks on allocating ministries reached a deadlock last Friday after four days of negotiations mediated by former South African president Mr Mbeki.
The discussions stalled on the allocation of the Ministry of Home Affairs under which the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Department of Immigration and the Registrar-General's Office fall.
Both Zanu-PF and MDC-T want to control the ministry and a number of proposals to get round the issue were put forward but could not break the impasse. One proposal was that Zanu-PF and MDC-T share the ministry under two co-ministers while the other was that the ministry rotates every six months between the two parties.
The talks also failed to move forward because MDC-T was reopening discussion on issues that had already been agreed to, according to insiders.
Meanwhile, leaders of the MDC formations and their negotiating teams are also expected to arrive in Ezulwini in time for the Sadc Troika meeting.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa last night said Mr Tsvangirai's team "would find itself in Mbabane in time for the meeting".
He said his party was hopeful that the Sadc meeting would "ultimately bring finality and closure" to the process so that the country can move forward.
Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, the Mutambara faction spokesperson, said his leader had travelled to South Africa from where he would join his colleagues in Swaziland.
He said his party was "very optimistic that the Troika meeting would come up with a solution to the deadlock and any leader who went against the regional committee would be going against the will of the people and Sadc".
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