MDC insists Mbeki needed to broker impasse on cabinet posts

By Tichaona Sibanda
2 October 2008

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is willing to continue with his mediation efforts between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, but ZANU PF are saying his facilitation is not needed.

The MDC insisted on Thursday that only Mbeki’s mediation can help end the talks deadlock over forming a cabinet. Both the MDC and ZANU PF have traded accusations over the state of negotiations, with Tsvangirai’s side saying the talks have hit a deadlock while Mugabe’s chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa said anyone claiming there is a deadlock is being ‘mischievous.’
While both sides said they were committed to dialogue and a negotiated solution to the crisis, the MDC say they have no choice but to halt negotiations until Mbeki is called back to intervene.
A senior aide to Tsvangirai told Newsreel that they made contact with Mbeki and spoke to him about the issues holding back the formation of an inclusive government.‘We made contact with Mbeki on Tuesday and he is still willing to carry on with the facilitation. He was however still waiting to hear from the South African government who obviously have to provide him with the resources to proceed with this costly exercise,’ the aide said.
The South Africa government responded Thursday when the new president called on Mbeki to continue as the region’s mediator in the crisis, despite his ousting as president.

In a statement South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said Mbeki’s facilitation efforts in Zimbabwe have ‘proven his dispassionate vision for a lasting political solution to the challenges facing the country.’ He went on to say: ‘Accordingly, our government has full confidence in Mr. Mbeki’s ability to build on the historic successes already made in the power sharing negotiations under his mediation.’

The MDC said Mbeki has to be involved.‘We don’t want to look like fools because we’ve discussed the same issues and still coming up with the same results. Obviously we need a logjam breaker to come in and resolve the issue, otherwise its useless convening another meeting that would end up in a deadlock again,’ a senior aide to Tsvangirai said. He said if they are to move forward there has to be a new formula for the talks or the whole exercise will fall apart.

‘They (ZANU PF) need to go back to the drawing board because we have said no to their intentions of imposing their will on us,’ said the aide.