Zimbabwe's Mugabe & Opposition Chiefs Sign Pact For Power-Sharing Talks
Political analyst Brian Raftopoulos said the mere fact that Mr. Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai found it possible to sit down at the same 
Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition took an important first step Monday toward agreeing a power-sharing formula to end months of turmoil following March elections in which political violence claimed the lives of more than 100 people, mainly opposition members. In the presence of regional mediator and South AfricanPresident Thabo Mbeki, President Robert Mugabe as head ofthe ruling ZANU-PF party with Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, heads of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change signed a memorandum of understanding setting the stage for wider talks on sharingpolitical power. Mr. Mbeki said in his remarks before the signingthat the memorandum “commits the negotiating parties to an intense program ofwork to try and finalize negotiations as quickly as possible.” The agreement sets a tight two-week timetable for the next phase of more substantive talks on forming a national unity or transitional government. Mutambara noted that the document is "not thesolution,” just a starting point. He said that the events of the past threemonths had "traumatized the people," referring to the political violence which followed the March 29th elections and only recently tapered off. Mutambara said Zimbabwe’s leaders must say“it is okay to belong to a particular political party," and that there must be a “longerconversation” on the constitution. Parties to the talks, he said, must come up with a“national economic vision, a shared national vision.” Tsvangirai pointedly referred to Mr. Mugabeas “the president of ZANU-PF” not the president of Zimbabwe, indicating heis still not ready to acknowledge Mr. Mugabe as chief executive. Mr. Mugabe claimed victory in a presidential run-off election held on June 27, but the ballot was widely condemned as illegitimate given the climate of political violence and intimidation in which it was held, and the withdrawal June 22 of Tsvangirai, his rival, over that violence. Like Mutambara,Tsvangirai alluded to the political violence, saying that “the people who have beenbrutalized, the hate speech, I hope all of that will be in the past” expressing the hope that "everyZimbabwean will feel safe." Tsvangirai concluded: “not finding a solution is notan option. We all have to do our best.” Mr. Mugabe said the signatories to the pact werethere to “chart a new way of political action.” He thanked and defended Mr. Mbeki,often criticized for allegedly favoring Mr. Mugabe as mediator. Mr. Mugabe saidhis party takes the memorandum “quite seriously.” Then an indirect cut at the MDC, Mr. Mugabe insisted that “we shall be doing this entirely as Zimbabweans,”and that while the country would look to Southern Africa for support, it would “cut off” Europeanand US influence. "No master from Europe, no master from America." Mr. Mugabe, who seemed more subdued than his opposition negotiating partners, concluded: "Let us move forward under what Professor Mutambarahas been calling our vision.”