Harare — NEGOTIATORS from the three main political parties in the Zimbabwe crisis have agreed in principle to implement 15 of the 21 items on the agenda despite the resolutions passed at a recent ZANU-PF congress directing the party's point men in the discussions not to soften their positions during talks to resolve the so-called outstanding issues.

The Financial Gazette can exclusive reveal that the negotiations that have been temporarily stayed due to the unavailability of the chief negotiators from the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), have reached consensus on the not-so-contentious issues arising from the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) communiqué of January 27 2009.

A breakthrough is said to have been reached on issues such as media reform, pirate radio stations beaming into the country and the audit of the land reform programme.

But there are still sharp differences on six items, which include the appointments of central bank governor, Gideon Gono, the Attorney-General, Johannes Toma-na, provincial governors and the swearing in of Roy Bennett as Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

The reformation of the security sector is another hot potato dividing the negotiators right through the middle.

Sources claimed yesterday that the MDC-T, which is unhappy with the slow pace in implementing the GPA, wanted a deadlock to be declared over the six issues.

A deadlock will force South African President, Jacob Zuma, to intervene as SADC's facilitator in the multi-faceted Zimbabwe crisis.

President Robert Mugabe, who met with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara on Monday to discuss the niggling issues is however, said to have insisted that the negotiators be afforded more time to exercise their minds before a deadlock could be declared.

The latest development comes when the ink is hardly dry on ZANU-PF resolutions calling on its chief negotiators and President Mugabe not to move an inch during the dialogue unless the MDC factions have met their part of the bargain.

ZANU-PF has been adamant that the only outstanding issues are the targeted sanctions imposed on its leadership, the pirate radio stations broadcasting into the country and the alleged parallel government being run by the premier.

In a development that could have snuffed life out of the inclusive government, ZANU-PF had warned at its congress that it would reject attempts to reform the security sector and the reversal of senior government appointments that the MDC alleges were done in disregard of the GPA.

"Congress has noted that the inclusive government brings the party into partnership with ideologically incompatible MDC formations from which it must extricate itself in order to retain its mantle as the only dominant and ascendant political party that is truly representative and determined to safeguard the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe," reads part of the party's resolutions following last week's congress held in the capital.

Representatives of the three political parties in the talks yesterday declined to comment on the progress so far, insisting that there were barred by the confidentiality surrounding the discussions.

ZANU-PF is represented in the talks by Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche, while the MDC-T has Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma as its point men.

Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga complete the list as MDC-M representatives.

While the date for the resumption of the talks is still to be agreed upon due to the unavailability of Ncube and Misihairabwi-Mushonga, sources said all the three parties were expected to submit their reports to the principals this weekend detailing issues that have been agreed upon and a framework with definite deadlines for implementation of the agreed positions.

The Financial Gazette can reveal that the three principals -- President Mugabe, the premier and the deputy premier -- have agreed on the names of commissioners to serve on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) in a clear sign that there was indeed some progress.

An announcement by the three leaders is due next week when President Mugabe returns from the United Nations Summit on Climate Change.

Both the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office were on Tuesday and yesterday engaged in consultations on the availability of the selected candidates as well as finalising their conditions of service.

When the consultations have been done, the two offices shall cause for the publication of a Government Gazette effecting the appointments of the commissioners to serve on the three commissions.

Information obtained by this paper yesterday indicates that there have been some changes to the original list of names sent to the three principals by the Parliamentary Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC).

For instance, Chris Mhike, a journalist-cum lawyer who scored the highest marks during the interviews for the ZMC, has been dropped from the nine-member commission that upon its appointment would set the ball-rolling for the much-awaited media reforms.

Henry Muradzikwa, the former chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings now comes in as an ordinary commissioner while Danhiko deputy director, Godfrey Majonga, is now set to chair the ZMC.

The other ZMC commissioners are Nqobile Nyathi, the former editor of The Financial Gazette, Lawton Hikwa, a Dean at the University of Science and Technology, Millicent Mombeshora, an executive at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Chris Mutsvangwa, the former Ambassador to China, Reverend Useni Sibanda, former journalist and outgoing president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Matthew Takaona and Miriam Madziwa-Sibanda, a media consultant.

Former Harare High Court Judge, Simpson Mutambanengwe, who is now a High Court Judge in Namibia, has been tipped to chair ZEC. It is understood there are high-level consultations over his availability.

The line-up for ZEC includes two people who sat on the previous electoral body, Theo Gambe and Joyce Kazembe, who deputised former ZEC chairman, George Chiweshe.

The remainder of the ZEC candidates are Daniel Chigaru, the current general manager of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, Geoff Feltoe, P. Makoni, S. Ndlovu and Pastor Godwill Shana, a former chairman of Transparency International Zimbabwe.

The ZHRC has R. Austen as chairperson, K. Sithole, E. Neseni, N. Jirira, Joseph Kurebwa, N. Ncube, Jacob Mudenda and Douglas Gwatidzo, the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights.

Kucaca Phulu, a prominent Bulawayo lawyer who had initially been included in the list by the SROC, has been dropped.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is the only outstanding body to be appointed.

Sources said commissioners for the corruption watchdog would be appointed once President Mugabe, Prime Minister Tsvangirai and DPM Mutambara have submitted recommendations to the SROC.