Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Mugabe Ultimatum On Power-Sharing
An opposition spokesman said Mr. Mugabe would be committing "political suicide" if he unilaterally formed a cabinet as this would forec
President Robert Mugabe has set an ultimatum for Movement for Democratic Change formationleader Morgan Tsvangirai, saying a power-sharing deal must be signed nolater than Thursday or he will unilaterally name a new cabinet, state media reported Thursday. Talks between Mr. Mugabe's long-ruling ZANU-PF and the MDC's two factions, which between them control a majority of seats in parliament, have stalled. The MDC responded that it would not be pressured into signing a deal that would only entrench Mr. Mugabe as president while short-changing Tsvangirai. Three-way talks on how ZANU-PF and MDC should share power were supposed to have picked up in Harare on Thursday, but theywere put off to next week after Tsvangirai wrote to South African President Thabo Mbeki, mediator in the talks, saying he would not be available. Mbeki accordingly postponed a trip to Harare, sources said. MDC sources, meanwhile, say Tsvangirai is bitter Mbeki has not brought anything new to the table. ZANU-PF says it won’tnegotiate new terms and only want’s Tsvangirai’s signature. In South Africa, the Congress of South African Trade Unions threatened toboycott trade with Zimbabwe for one week if the talks fail to yield a favorableoutcome. COSATU's central executive committee agreed Thursday on the measure topush for an end to the political and economic crisis. Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi said the boycott will support the struggle for democracy by Zimbabwean workers. COSATU spokesman Patrick Craven noted that the action couldhurt Zimbabwe’s economy, but argued that it will boost pressure on the Mugabe government to heed the willof the people and take the power-sharing talks seriously. Craven said the boycott could bereconsidered if talks yield a settlement – but warned actions will be steppedup unless Harare shifts course.