SA welcomes Zimbabwe breakthrough
Bathandwa Mbola
22 July 2008
The South African government has welcomed the landmark signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Zimbabwe's political parties in Harare on Monday, in the presence of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) appointed facilitator, South African President Thabo Mbeki.
President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara signed the deal, which paves the way for full-fledged negotiations aimed at ending the political deadlock in the country.
In a statement issued this week, the South African government said the signing represented a positive step forward in ongoing dialogue among the parties.
"We are convinced that the MoU has laid a firm foundation for the Zimbabwean people to start on a new road towards political stability and economic recovery," the government said.
Power-sharing accord
Faced with mounting global pressure, runaway inflation and an escalating economic crisis, the leaders agreed that there was a need to work together towards an inclusive government - the closest language to a power-sharing accord.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mugabe said his party and the opposition had agreed to amend the country's constitution, while Tsvangirai promised that he would act to put the interests of Zimbabwe at the forefront.
Mbeki said that the deal committed both sides to an intense process to try to complete substantive negotiations as quickly as possible, adding that all parties involved recognised the urgency behind the negotiations.
Committed to dialogue
"The parties hereby declare and agree to commit themselves to a dialogue with each other with a view to creating a genuine, viable, permanent and sustainable solution to the Zimbabwean situation and, in particular, to implement this memorandum of understanding," the MoU states.
The MOU envisaged that the dialogue would be completed within two weeks from Monday.
It also requires each party to issue a statement condemning the promotion and use of violence and calling for peace in the country, and to take all measures necessary to ensure that the structures and institutions it controls are not engaged in the perpetration of violence.
Expressing their gratitude to Mbeki for working tirelessly behind the scenes to broker a lasting political and economic solution, the three committed themselves to continuing to implement the SADC and African Union's mandate.
These objectives include peace, stability and economic prosperity shared by the Zimbabwean people and the international community.
"In this regard, we urge all those in the international community who are genuinely committed to the resolution of challenges facing Zimbabwe to support the process towards the speedy and successful conclusion of the dialogue now underway," the MoU adds.
Major breakthrough
The signing of the deal is seen as a major breakthrough in ending the southern African country's political crisis, and has been welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who also commended the efforts of Mbeki and his mediation team.
"The UN is committed to supporting these mediation efforts through its participation in the recently-formed reference group," he said in a statement.
Ban encouraged all sides to engage, in good faith, in serious talks that would lead to a lasting solution to the political crisis and address the urgent economic and humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean people.
He further urged the enabling of humanitarian operations in order to allow the provision of assistance to those in dire need.
Source: BuaNews
