SADC talks yield little on Zimbabwe
2011-08-18 21:34
Special Report
A classical music presenter for the BBC has been arrested and is in custody in Zimbabwe.
Luanda - Southern African leaders ended two-day talks on Thursday with no major progress announced in resolving leadership battles in Zimbabwe and Madagascar that have topped the regional agenda in recent years.
The closing statement of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Angola's capital echoed a June meeting with calls for further mediation efforts to resolve the crises in the two countries.
The bloc "reaffirmed its decision of the [June] extraordinary summit", urging faster reforms in Zimbabwe but presented no plan to end a deadlock between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on new elections.
The two rivals share power in a tense unity government formed under a SADC-brokered deal to end the crisis sparked by a flawed 2008 vote.
The pact helped halt the country's economic tailspin, but Mugabe and Tsvangirai have remained at loggerheads over implementing agreed upon reforms and the date of a new election.
"Summit urged the parties to [the power-sharing deal] to remain committed to the implementation of the agreement and finalise the roadmap for resolving outstanding issues," the leaders said.
"Summit shall review progress on the implementation of the [agreement] and take appropriate action."
SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomao said the framework for new elections was close to being finalised.
"We almost have an agreement on the roadmap," he told AFP.
Madagascar
The organisation was less optimistic on a roadmap to new elections in Madagascar, where former president Marc Ravalomanana was ousted in 2009 by current strongman Andry Rajoelina.
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the chair of the SADC, told journalists that regional mediators' efforts to resolve the stand-off were "blocked".
Ravalomanana has refused to sign a roadmap backed by the SADC, which would keep Rajoelina as president of a transitional government and allow his return from exile in South Africa only when security conditions are "favourable".
"Summit reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the mediation process in Madagascar," the SADC said, pledging to "engage the stakeholders to fully implement the roadmap."
- SAPA