Warring Zimbabwean Parties Turn to Zuma, Again

Negotiators trying to break the political stalemate in Zimbabwe have asked President Jacob Zuma to help put the talks back on track.



The final report on the protracted talks between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change reveals that negotiations stalled soon after Zuma's recent visit to Harare, where he announced agreement on a "package of measures" to conclude a deal.



The report, titled Final Report Of Negotiators on the Post-Maputo Inter-party dialogue, was exclusively obtained by the Sunday Times this week. It shows that although Zuma was hopeful that outstanding issues would be resolved, Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators quickly ran into trouble after he left.



The report, which was submitted to Mugabe, Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Zuma on Wednesday shows that there was a deadlock on the swearing-in of the MDC's Roy Bennett as deputy minister of agriculture, the appointment of attorney-general Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, the chairing of cabinet and the review of ministerial allocations.



Also unresolved were the allocation of provincial governors, transport arrangements for Tsvangirai, communication between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, regularisation of Tsvangirai's staff, national heroes, the role of Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba and compensation of white commercial farmers for their seized land.



Although several issues remain unsettled, negotiators consider the Bennett, Tomana, Gono and governors issues as the most pressing and now need Zuma's intervention, again.



The most important agreement was reached on electoral law reforms . These reforms are designed to prevent the crisis which paralysed the country following the March 2008 presidential election. Tsvangirai won the first round of the poll but was forced out of the second round by Mugabe through a campaign of violence and intimidation.



Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been harping on elections of late. There was agreement on sanctions, pirate radio stations, hate speech, bias in the media, rule of law and state organs and institutions and land issues . Negotiators also agreed on national heroes, respect of national institutions and events, constitutional amendment No19 and allocation of ambassadors .



Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators held meetings between November 23 2009 and April 2 2010 but failed to clear all the issues on the agenda.



The MDC discussed the final report in its extraordinary national executive meeting on Friday.



On the Bennett issue, the report says, MDC-T argued there was no legal basis for Mugabe to refuse to swear him in. Zanu-PF said Bennett was facing serious charges of trying to overthrow Mugabe and banditry, and it was inappropriate to allow him into office.



Insiders said proposals on Gono's resignation and Tomana's redeployment to the high court as a judge were not formally discussed because Zanu-PF refused to entertain the issues. The report indicates that on provincial governors, a formula of sharing positions was agreed - five, four, one - but the sticking point is who gets more representatives.



On sanctions - Mugabe's main complaint - the report says negotiators "agreed that the re-engagement committee set up by cabinet be convened as a matter of urgency to deal with the issue". The committee will engage the US and European Union over sanctions.



The report says all issues agreed upon must be implemented immediately, while Zuma, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara try to break the impasse on the outstanding issues.



Following a Southern African Development Community organ on politics, defence and security meeting in Maputo last November, Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators have been negotiating on the 27 unresolved issues following the agreement brokered by former South African president Thabo Mbeki in 2008. Zuma's facilitation team, comprising political adviser Charles Nqakula, ''special envoy" Mac Maharaj and Lindiwe Zulu, Zuma's international relations adviser, is expected in Zimbabwe soon to deal with the remaining issues.

* NY Times