MDC Says Deadlock Remains on Several Ministries

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC party maintained on Sunday that deadlock remained on several key Cabinet posts and not two only as claimed by President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF party.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa accused Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba of trying to “mislead the public” when he said that a Saturday meeting of the veteran President and MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara had failed to reach agreement only on the two posts of finance and home affairs.

The three leaders had resolved “there should be further consultation at the level of their negotiating teams exclusively over the ministries of finance and home affairs," Charamba told reporters in Harare on Saturday.

But Chamisa said the proposed new power-sharing government was being negotiated as “one whole package” and not as single departments, adding that besides finance and home affairs there were at least three other key ministries were agreement had not been reached.

“It is one package we are talking about and nothing has been concluded on all ministries,” Chamisa told ZimOnline by phone. “Mr Charamba is trying to mislead the public when he says that there is no agreement on only two Cabinet posts,” he said.

Charamba was not immediately available on Sunday for comment on the matter.

Chamisa did not disclose which other Cabinet positions were yet to be decided but sources close to the negotiations said in addition to home affairs and finance, there was also no agreement on who will control the ministries of local government, foreign affairs and information.

The failure by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara to reach agreement on the sharing of key posts has delayed the implementation of a unity government to be established under a power-sharing deal the three leaders signed on September 15.

Asked when negotiators would meet to iron out outstanding issues as directed by their principals, Chamisa said “no specific time had been given or set” when the meeting of negotiators should take place.

However the MDC spokesman was quick to add that given the urgency of Zimbabwe’s deepening crisis the meeting would have to be held as soon as possible.

A power-sharing government is seen as best equipped to end an acute recession that is seen in the world’s highest inflation of 11 million percent, deepening poverty amid shortages of food and every basic survival commodity.

The international community, in particular Western donor nations whose financial support is vital to any effort to resuscitate Zimbabwe’s comatose economy, has to help rebuild the country but only after assessing the implementation of the power-sharing deal. – ZimOnline