Passport-Less Tsvangirai Mulls Boycott Of Regional Mediation In Zimbabwe
The Tsvangirai MDC formation warned that Harare’s failure to issue Tsvangirai a passport “puts the entire political agreement in jeopar
Political officials of the Southern African Development Community have rescheduled for next Monday, Oct. 27, discussions aimed at ending the impasse in Zimbabwe’s political power-sharing process and moved the venue to Harare - but the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said it could not commit to taking part in the mini-summit. The talks had been called for Monday in Swaziland, but Zimbabwean prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change was unable to travel to Mbabanebecause he has not received a passport from the Harare government of President Robert Mugabe and the traveldocuments he was given were said to be deficient. Now therescheduled talks in Harare are in doubt because Tsvangirai’s MDC formationhas refused to commit itself to taking part until and unless the ZANU-PF administration of President Robert Mugabe provides him with a passport. Mr. Mugabe, Tsvangirai and rival MDC leader Arthur Mutambara on Sept. 15 signed an accord providing for the sharing of power within a national unity government, seemingly ending months of turmoil following general and presidential elections in March, which opened months of often deadly political violence in the approach to a June presidential run-off ballot. Mr. Mugabe ultimately ran without opposition in that second-round election, drawing a chorus of condemnation from African leaders as well as Western governments and institutions which characterized the election as a sham and his presidency as illegitimate. Since the Sept. 15 signature of the power-sharing agreement, the formation of a government has been delayed by the inability of the parties to the compact to agree on the allocation of key cabinet positions, in particular the Finance and Home Affairs portfolios. The state-run Herald newspaper on Tuesday quoted Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa as saying Tsvangirai's “failure to come to Swaziland seems to us to reflect his ownreluctance or hesitancy to finalize and conclude discussions on the formationof an inclusive government.” But the MDC in a statement charged that ZANU-PF was in fact the party to the agreement that was stalling power-sharing. The Tsvangirai MDC formationwarned that Harare’s failure to issue Tsvangirai a passport “puts the entirepolitical agreement in jeopardy.” It said Tsvangirai is in effect being heldprisoner and prisoners do not negotiate.