Zimbabwe Deal Gives Opposition Cabinet, police.

I thought that a deal would never be reached. Even though there is a deal now I remain skeptical as to whether it will ever work. As I recall the police said earlier that they would not accept an opposition win so it is difficult to see how they will now accept being run by the opposition. Anyway we will see. Perhaps the situation is so bad that even Mugabe supporters recognise that there must be power sharing and will co-operate.
This is from wiredispatch.


.Zimbabwe deal gives opposition Cabinet, police
Zimbabwe deal gives opposition control of Cabinet, police; Mugabe gets defense
MICHELLE FAULAP News
Sep 12, 2008 09:03 EST
Zimbabwe's breakthrough political deal gives the opposition control of the Cabinet and the police, who have terrorized opponents for years, two opposition officials said Friday.




That means overhauling Zimbabwe's draconian security and media laws will be a top priority for the opposition, the officials said on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been made public yet.
They said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 84, retains control of the country's military in the power-sharing deal brokered Thursday night in the Zimbabwean capital. It was expected to be signed Monday in the presence of presidents of neighboring countries, among them South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, who mediated the agreement.
Mbeki said at a late night news conference Thursday that the agreement would be made public Monday. Mugabe has made no statement on the deal, and attempts to reach officials from his party were not immediately successful.
However, five opposition Movement for Democratic Change officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because of a media blackout, with two providing details of the power-sharing deal.
They said it would free the leaders to address Zimbabwe's severe economic problems — which include having the world's highest inflation rate and chronic food and fuel shortages. Western nations are poised to help, but much depends on whether they believe Mugabe has been sidelined.
Morgan Tsvangirai, 56, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, will get most seats in the Cabinet, 16 to 15 for Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF, the two officials said.
Tsvangirai's party gets eight deputy ministries, Mugabe's six and one goes to a breakaway opposition faction led by Arthur Mutambara.
One official said the deal includes disbanding the southern African nation's feared Central Intelligence Organization, which like the police comes under the mantle of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and replacing it with a smaller, more efficient National Security Authority.
Tsvangirai broke a deadlock in the talks by proposing a new Council of State made up of Mugabe and two deputies from his party, and Tsvangirai and two of his deputies, the two
Tsvangirai will be in charge of the Cabinet and Mugabe will be in charge of the council, which will oversee Cabinet. Mugabe would have no veto powers on the council.
The council's role remains unclear, but it does give Mugabe a significant role in government, and apparently led to the compromise that broke the deadlock.
Two of the five opposition officials said some opposition leaders believe Tsvangirai should have held out for more power and the ability to sideline Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, and is accused of widespread fraud and violence.
In neighboring South Africa, however, news of a deal was greeted with cautious optimism among some Zimbabwean refugees, many of whom are eager to return home. Millions of Zimbabweans have sought a haven in South Africa from political violence and economic collapse
"Our country is beautiful. We want to develop it. We don't want to run away again," said Archie Tapera, 35. He called the power-sharing deal "one of the major achievements in the history of Zimbabwe."
"The international community should now assist in reconstruction, reconciliation and nation building in Zimbabwe," South Africa's governing African National Congress said Friday.
European Union spokesman John Clancy said on Friday that officials were waiting to get more details on the agreement on Monday.
The agreement was crucial for Mbeki's international standing, for South Africa's leader has faced growing criticism that his "quiet diplomacy" has only placated Mugabe and deepened Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.
Others, including African leaders traditionally reluctant to criticize one of their own, had become increasingly impatient with Mugabe. Neighboring countries coping with millions of Zimbabwean refugees were among the sharpest critics.
Tsvangirai based his claim to govern on winning the most votes in legislative and presidential elections in March. Tsvangirai he did not win enough to avoid a runoff against Mugabe. An onslaught of state-sponsored violence against Tsvangirai's supporters forced him to drop out of the presidential runoff.
Mugabe kept Tsvangirai's name on the ballot and was declared the overwhelming winner of a June runoff widely denounced as a sham.
The deal envisages the coalition government lasting between two and 2 1/2 years. It calls for a new constitution to be drawn up within 18 months and put to a national referendum. New elections should be held 90 days after.
___
Associated Press Writer Celean Jacobson contributed to this report from Johannesburg.
Source: AP News








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Official says Zimbabwe power-sharing talks go well.

So what happens if the talk are successful? Surely the sanctions should be withdrawn. Given that there is still violence and many want Mugabe out completely the talks may end up failing. What is surprising is that talks seem to be going forward at all. The western sanctions just play into Mugabe's script about western colonialism still being a strong force.


Official says Zimbabwe power-sharing talks go well
Zimbabwe talks go well though many Zimbabweans feel betrayed and some violence continues
MICHELLE FAULAP News
Jul 25, 2008 13:20 EST
Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's rival political parties were proceeding well Friday, a South African official said, although violence continued and hundreds of opposition supporters remained jailed.



Both sides are under pressure: the opposition from fear of more state-sponsored violence and longtime President Robert Mugabe from widening Western sanctions. The United States on Friday broadened its sanctions against targeted Zimbabweans and their companies, calling Mugabe's an "illegitimate" and "brutal" regime.
South African presidential spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said the Zimbabwean talks got "fully under way" on Thursday and were "continuing and they are proceeding well"
Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and Morgan Tsvangirai's opposition Movement for Democratic Change have committed themselves to negotiating "an inclusive government" within two weeks.
The Zimbabwe parties also agreed to negotiate a slew of other issues, including revival of the shattered economy and a new constitution — but most points already had been negotiated at talks that broke off in January, ahead of presidential and legislative elections.
The biggest obstacle is agreeing on who will lead a new government.
"The opposition wants to be in the driving seat. The only way for the economy to be handled is for Mugabe to withdraw altogether, and I don't see that happening," said John Makumbe, a political analyst at the University of Zimbabwe. "I see the whole thing collapsing or, if a deal is reached, it will look so bad no one will accept it."
But the resilient Mugabe, who has survived years of attempts to oust him even by his own party, insists that he should head any government.
Tsvangirai says he won the most votes at the only legitimate election in March. But he did not win enough to avoid a runoff, from which he belatedly withdrew because of mounting state violence against his supporters.
Mugabe ran alone in the June runoff and declared himself victor, though most of the world sees that election as a sham.
Under immense pressure, with even some African leaders declaring they did not consider him Zimbabwe's elected president, Mugabe on Monday signed an agreement with the opposition to hold talks.
Makumbe, the analyst, said Monday's handshake between Mugabe and Tsvangirai has left militant followers of both leaders feeling betrayed. Victims of violence feel Tsvangirai is "supping with the devil," and should not have signed before all his supporters were released.
Tsvangirai's party says some 2,000 of its activists remain jailed on trumped up charges of violence and inciting violence. Three newly elected legislators are out on bail on various charges, including the opposition's chief negotiator at the talks, secretary-general Tendai Biti. He is accused of treason, a charge that carries the death sentence. Seven other opposition legislators are in hiding, on a wanted list for spurious allegations including rape and fraud.
Makumbe said the prospect of Mugabe and Tsvangirai sharing power is bitterly opposed by military commanders backing Mugabe and militants responsible for attacks on the opposition, who now fear retribution.
Monday's agreement also calls for an end to the political violence in which more than 150 people have been killed. Doctors who have been documenting the deaths and injuries say it's too early to tell: Most violence is committed in rural areas and, with roadblocks and other difficulties, it is taking victims up to two weeks to reach hospitals in Harare, the capital.
One opposition supporter who arrived at the Avenues Clinic in Harare this week, suffering complications from a beating perpetrated in rural Zimbabwe two weeks ago, died on Friday, according to the doctors, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of attacks.
An opposition official admitted to the clinic this week had been beaten up by ZANU-PF militants at the weekend when he went home, thinking the violence was over, the doctors' group said.
Makumbe said the violence already had diminished after the runoff. "It served its purpose for that election but its always remains an option for ZANU-PF," Makumbe said.
Looking to put pressure on Mugabe, the United States and European Union broadened sanctions banning travel and freezing assets of people and companies considered to support Mugabe's regime.
The United States on Friday added 17 entities and one individual to its existing list targeting 132 people and 36 farms and companies.
On Tuesday, the European Union added another 37 people and companies, increasing its targeted list to 168.
"No regime should ignore the will of its own people and calls from the international community without consequences," President George W. Bush said in a statement.
Source: AP News













2008 Wiredispatch.com

Doubts linger over Zimbabwe deal.

This is from the BBC.
There seems to be a bit of sour grapes in this article. The U.S. UK and others wanted tough sanctions and those were vetoed by Russia and China. The Africans were not in favor of that approach. The diplomatic route that has up to now produced little seems to be working now that Mugabe has made his point. Perhaps Mugabe realizes that he must defuse the situation or face even stronger opposition from African countries. He can claim now that at least he has defeated western imperialist machinations against his regime! Actually, Mugabe's cronyism and destruction of the economy has created conditions for his ultimate downfall in any event. The article is probably correct though in thinking that there could still be plenty of trouble ahead.


Doubts linger over Zimbabwe deal
By Brian Hungwe Harare
The ink that marks a possible resolution to the crisis that has dogged Zimbabwe for the last eight years may be dry, but the tears of grieving relatives are not.
Leslie Madamombe of Mashonaland Central province lost three brothers a week before the country's 27 June presidential run-off.
One was shot point-blank and the others forced to drink a lethal Chinese paraquat herbicide by militias from the ruling Zanu-PF party.
"[The agreement] should have happened long back," he says. "Nothing will ever bring my three dead brothers back."
Leslie's mother and elder brother Hilton still fear for their lives, guarded by armed police at a Harare hospital.
"I'm bitter, but I however look forward with hope," he says.
No embrace
National angst remains after President Robert Mugabe and his main political rivals, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara of the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could pave the way for a lasting political settlement.
This is not the time to outdo one another, but to think about the suffering of the ordinary people Mudiwa, Highfields township resident
There was a handshake and a smile, but no embrace. It appears the rivals did not want to physically commit themselves that far.
The body language failed to provide a clue as to whether the ice had really been broken in the hotel where they held a brief meeting.
Mr Mutambara seemed at ease, Mr Tsvangirai disinterested, and Mr Mugabe was, as usual, self-confident.
The handshake was a temporary triumph for South African President Thabo Mbeki and his much-criticised "quiet diplomacy" policy on Zimbabwe.
At last, the rivals had come face to face.
They signed a commitment to "end polarisation, divisions, conflict and intolerance that have characterised our country's politics."
The talks are due to be completed in two weeks.
Economic collapse
With inflation at more than 2.2m%, unemployment at 80%, and basic food commodities vanishing from shelves, locals had been finding things tough, with millions forced into neighbouring countries.
It is a situation President Mugabe was finding difficult to wriggle out of.
After winning the controversial run-off with an official tally of 85%, the economy became his newest challenger.
This time, he could he was never going to win, hence the huge climb-down for negotiations with Mr Tsvangirai - who he had previously characterised as a "puppet," "dumb" and a "frog".
For now, both rivals' loose tongues are tied by a clause in the new deal that states: "The parties shall refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or undermine each other."
In the townships, there is some confusion.
"We wait and see, it's difficult to trust Mr Mugabe," says Caleb, 34, from Chitungwiza, a dormitory town just south of Harare.
But Mudiwa, of Highfields said: "We trust all our leaders, we hope whatever they will debate, is good for us all."
"This is not the time to outdo one another, but to think about the suffering of the ordinary people."
Around the streets of Harare, the news came as a shock to many.
It drew laughter from those who thought it was a hoax, but excitement from others.
A security officer at a local hotel said people were looking forward to making sure "people are having enough food and they are having enough medication from the hospitals".
Taxi driver Johannes Phiri said: "I am quite happy, what's has been happening was very bad."
"With the agreement, everything will be all right so that we can survive and lead our normal lives again."
'Ball rolling'
A 40-year-old petrol attendant who refused to be identified said the country could return to the relative prosperity of the past.
"The ball is rolling on now. I'm sure the country is going to prosper, it is going to be a Zimbabwe like that one of the yesteryears."
Under Monday's deal, the objectives and priorities of new government are to "restore economic stability and growth," and to address the issue of sanctions and the land question.
The parties agreed to address the thorny issues of a new constitution, national healing, free political activity, the rule of law, and guaranteeing security.
In past weeks, Zanu-PF terror squads have torched countless rural homes, forcing villagers to flee into mountains where temperatures dropped to 6C.
The terror squads or militias are now expected to disband their bases, and preach peace.
"Will they ever do that, let's wait and see, I am very sceptical," says Leslie.
"Are people now able to walk freely with their party T-shirts without risking their limbs?" he asked.
Story from BBC NEWS:

Mugabe says no talks unless he is accepted as president

This is from AFP.
So the talks are simply about how to make his presidency legitimate in the eyes of the international community. Tsvangarai was right to reject talks under those conditions. There just does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel as far as getting rid of Mugabe is concerned. The diplomatic, tread lightly, policy of the African union is not working but neither will the loud rhetoric and sanctions approach of the U.S. and other western nations. Sanctions will just make things worse for ordinary people who are already in dire straits.
Strange that there is not a lot of rhetoric about regime change or threats to invade from the U.S. I guess Zimbabwe does not have much oil! Zimbabwe could still have been prosperous if Mugabe had distributed land to people who knew how to do farm work and had made some accomodation with white farmers but instead he gave the land to his cronies many of whom know zilch about farming. From a bread basket Zimbabwe has become a basket case.

Mugabe says no talks without him accepted as president
2 hours ago
HARARE (AFP) — Robert Mugabe said Friday he is only open to negotiations on an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis if he is accepted as the country's president following his widely condemned one-man election.
"I am the president of the republic of Zimbabwe and that is the reality," Mugabe told supporters at Harare airport after flying back home from an African Union summit in Egypt.
"Everybody has to accept that if they want dialogue."
The 84-year-old leader said "there shall never be acceptance to us of anything else but the meaning and significance of the vote passed on the 27th of June."
Speaking of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), he said, "let them not delude themselves into ever believing we will reverse that, never ever."
He added that "if they agree on that and we are satisfied, then we shall go into dialogue and listen to them by way of ideas. Those votes can never be thrown away as the British want. They are mad, insane."
Mugabe, who has often sought to portray his rival and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as a stooge of former colonial power Britain, said last Friday's run-off "was a total rejection of British policy towards Zimbabwe."
Tsvangirai boycotted the vote, citing rising violence against his supporters that he blamed on Mugabe thugs and which left some 90 dead and thousands injured.
Mugabe arrived back home to a hero's welcome by thousands of supporters on Friday following the AU summit, where he avoided serious censure over his country's political crisis.
AU leaders shunned calls for his suspension or the imposition of sanctions and instead passed a resolution calling for the formation of a national unity government.
While Western powers have pushed for sanctions following Mugabe's re-election, South African President Thabo Mbeki has warned against imposing a solution from the outside.
Mbeki, the regionally appointed mediator for Zimbabwe, has faced criticism over his quiet diplomacy approach to the crisis.
Mugabe has however expressed gratitude to Mbeki, and on Friday reiterated his call for the South African leader to remain in his role as mediator.
"We are happy that Mbeki continues to be the facilitator," Mugabe said. "He has done nothing wrong."

Nearly 200 Zimbabwe Opposition supporters released.

This is from AP. Mugabe simply refuses to admit defeat. What I find rather surprising is that the recount confirms the opposition won in most cases. This shows that there is enough independence in the counting process that Mugabe cannot control events. This must be the case with the presidential vote as well and is the reason the results have not been announced. While Bush is certainly correct in his criticism of the situation in Zimbabwe it is probably counterproductive. Mugabe stock in trade is to explain problems in terms of foreign intervention and in supporting the opposition Bush and others just give Mugabe more ammunition.


Nearly 200 Zimbabwe opposition supporters released
By ANGUS SHAW – 1 hour ago

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Police on Tuesday released nearly 200 people who were arrested last week in a raid at opposition headquarters, while President Bush called on Zimbabwe's neighbors to step up the pressure on longtime leader Robert Mugabe.

Many of the 215 people arrested on Friday had fled to Harare to escape mounting violence and intimidation in rural areas that used to be ruling party strongholds but turned against Mugabe in the March 29 elections.

Twenty-nine people, mainly women and children, were released almost immediately. The rest were freed from various police stations in the capital Tuesday in accordance with a High Court order issued Monday, opposition defense lawyer Alec Muchadehama said.

One month after the vote, results from the presidential election still have not been released.

Independent observers say that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe, but did not secure an outright majority necessary to avoid a runoff. Tsvangirai insists he did, while Mugabe has stayed silent.

Bush said at a news conference Tuesday that "Mr. Mugabe has failed the country."

"The violence and the intimidation is simply unacceptable. The government is intent upon and is intimidating the people there," he said.

He stopped short of saying that Mugabe had lost the election, but said it was clear that the country had voted for change. He also said "it's really incumbent on the nations in the neighborhood to step up and lead."

Tendai Biti, the second-in-command in Tsvangirai's opposition party, said Tuesday that he hoped United Nations would send a special envoy to Zimbabwe to assess the situation and help solve the crisis.

He was at U.N. headquarters in hopes of making his appeal to the Security Council. But the council met without him behind closed doors, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had not yet decided whether to send an envoy.

"The secretary-general has not decided if it's necessary, or if there's anything that we should be doing at this point," said U.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe.

The standoff was frustrating to Biti, secretary-general of the Movement for Democratic Change.

"There is a humanitarian concern. There's the violence, the fascism that is taking place there, the state of emergency. There is a massive food shortage and the use of food as a political weapon," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"Those are clearly not regional and sub-regional issues. Those are U.N. issues, and the (U.N.) Charter is very clear on that."

On Monday, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission concluded the re-count of 23 disputed parliamentary seats, the state-run Herald newspaper reported. The commission would thereafter "invite presidential candidates or their election agents for the verification and collation of the results," the Herald said Tuesday.

State radio reported that the verification process would take at least three more days.

Despite fears of vote-rigging during the parliamentary recount, the published results confirmed that the opposition held a majority of seats for the first time in Zimbabwe's history.

Tsvangirai addressed a joint news conference Monday with Arthur Mutambara, the head of a breakaway faction, to say they had healed their divisions and were now united against Mugabe.

"Old man, go and have an honorable exit," Tsvangirai said in a message to the 84-year-old autocrat who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.

"In a parliamentary democracy, the majority rule," Tsvangirai said alongside Mutambara at the news conference. "He should concede that ... he cannot be president."

Human Rights Watch said the ruling party, police and army have "sharply intensified a brutal campaign of organized terror and torture against perceived opposition supporters that threatens the general population."

But the Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, accused the opposition of fomenting violence. It said that some Tsvangirai supporters "attacked soldiers and the general public" in Manicaland province. It said one person had been killed and two injured.

It said police suspected that perpetrators of the violence were being given refuge at opposition headquarters.

Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Deal in works for Mugabe to cede power.

According to some reports Mugabe is going to finally step down. Let's hope it is not Mugabe's idea of an April fool's prank!