Zimbabwe Talks Break through in Sight

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Talks breakthrough in sight

Herald Reporters-AFP

PRINCIPALS to the inter-party talks between Zanu-PF and the two MDC
formations were last night locked up in a series of meetings to iron out
"a few remaining sticking points".

South African President Thabo Mbeki, the mediator in the talks, arrived
in Harare late on Saturday following more than two weeks of negotiations
in South Africa in a bid to reach a power-sharing deal.

President Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara spent the whole
of yesterday engaged in closed-door discussions facilitated by President
Mbeki.

At the time of going to press, the parties were still in the negotiating
room.

There was no official comment on the proceedings in line with an
agreement under the Memorandum of Understanding signed last month
barring the teams from talking to the Press.

However, optimism was high that a settlement would be reached late last
night or early today.

A source close to the proceedings said: "All I can tell you is that
there are a few sticking points remaining. We could be in for a long
night, but everyone hopes that there will be a more definite picture
late today or some time Monday."

The negotiators stayed away from the public eye for the better part of
the day with observers saying this showed commitment on their part to
reach an agreement sooner rather than later.

Rainbow Towers, the venue of the talks, was a hive of activity as
journalists jostled to take pictures of President Mugabe, Tsvangirai,
Mutambara and members of the negotiating teams as they arrived
separately for the meetings mid-morning yesterday.

Tsvangirai was the first to arrive at the venue of the talks followed by
Mutambara and then President Mugabe.

Mutambara’s spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa, told AFP that President Mbeki
had first met all three individually before bringing them together.

The three principals later met President Mbeki together with their
representatives who have been meeting in South Africa.

Sources said President Mbeki later left the teams alone and that the
three party leaders had a meeting among themselves.

At one point, Tsvangirai and his team briefly left the hotel raising
alarm among those gathered at the venue that the talks had collapsed.

However, his secretary-general Tendai Biti emerged soon afterwards to
calm the anxious onlookers, assuring them that "something positive"
would come out of the talks and that they were still on.

"Just stick around. You can go and pray, today is Sunday," he said.

The Zanu-PF team comprising Cde Patrick Chinamasa, Cde Emmerson
Mnangagwa, Cde Nicholas Goche, Dr Stan Mudenge and the Chief Secretary
to the President and the Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, also later briefly
left the hotel.

It could not be established why the teams were occasionally leaving as
the negotiators remained tight-lipped.

The three parties have been meeting under the aegis of President Mbeki’s
facilitation following the signing of an MoU on July 21. — Herald
Reporters-AFP.