A grouping of 37 Civil Society Organizations has expressed disappointment after being excluded from meetings with the SADC Troika ministerial team which visited Zimbabwe last week.

The Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM) is a grouping of civil society organizations committed to the independent monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

CISOMM are unhappy that they were not involved in the latest initiative aimed at resolving the current impasse between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights executive director Irene Petras told SW Radio Africa they were extremely disappointed that their request to the SADC secretariat for a meeting with the visiting Troika delegation was snubbed.

'Yes, it's true that they did not respond to our request. Basically, we wanted to talk about issues that relate to the GPA that affect us. For example we have become targets because the GPA is not working. We wanted to discuss issues of security with the SADC ministerial team.' Petras said.

Besides meeting Mugabe and the Prime Minister, the SADC team met SADC diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe as well as negotiators from ZANU PF and the MDC formations.

According to the weekly Legal Monitor (a newsletter produced by Lawyers for Human Rights) Mozambique's Foreign Affairs Minister Oldemiro Baloi, who was leading the Troika ministerial delegation, denied that a request for a meeting had been received by SADC.

CISOMM through its various member organizations that are dotted right round the country seeks to contribute to a new culture of transparency, scrutiny and accountability of all public processes taken on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe by the government.

Some of its participating organizations are Bulawayo Agenda, Christian Alliance Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe, Women of Zimbabwe Arise, Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights and Zimbabwe Election Support Network.

The grouping also produces monthly monitoring reports for mass publication, in order to allow the people of Zimbabwe to understand and discuss political processes, actions and decisions taken on their behalf and which have an impact on their lives.

After its visit to the country last week, the Troika team recommended that a SADC Troika summit be held to try to resolve the crisis. Tsvangirai two weeks ago suspended co-operation with Mugabe, accusing him of failing to live up to his side of the power-sharing deal.

The deadlock has heightened fears about the fate of the inclusive government, which is meant to end the deadly political violence that erupted after last year's sham one man presidential elections.

Three regional leaders who form the SADC Troika will meet with Zimbabwe's political leaders in Maputo, Mozambique on Thursday for the crisis summit.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, Swaziland's King Mswati and Zambia's Rupiah Banda will meet with Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara in Maputo to tackle the current standoff.