Zim deal under threat
2008-09-22 21:22
Special Report
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, accused of ethnic cleansing and bankrupting his country, has been appointed by the UN to become the new international envoy for tourism, a report says.
Harare - Zimbabwe's main opposition party
warned on Monday a deadlock over the allocation of cabinet posts
threatened a fragile power-sharing agreement it reached with
President Robert Mugabe earlier this month.
A meeting over the weekend between negotiators from Mugabe's
Zanu-PF, Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) and a breakaway MDC faction to sort out who gets which
posts failed to break the impasse.
Tendai Biti, secretary general of the MDC, said
disagreements remained over the allocation of ministries and
posts for 10 provincial governors and said this might require
renewed mediation.
"Fundamentally, we have a deadlock threatening the whole
process, not only over the ministers but the governors as well,"
Biti told Reuters.
Mugabe wants key ministries
Zanu-PF officials were not available for comment.
The MDC said that while it did not oppose Mugabe taking
charge of the army, he insisted on keeping control of all key
ministries, including home affairs - in charge of the police -
finance, foreign affairs, justice, information and local
government which oversees local councils.
Tsvangirai's party is expected to get 13 cabinet posts in
the new government, Mugabe's Zanu-PF 15 and Arthur Mutambara's
breakaway MDC faction three.
The landmark political deal was mediated by the ousted South
African President Thabo Mbeki and millions of Zimbabweans hope
it will be the first step towards rescuing a nation shattered by
economic collapse.
Under the deal, Mugabe retains the presidency and chairs the
cabinet while Tsvangirai becomes prime minister, chairing a
council of ministers supervising the cabinet.
Biti said the MDC did not expect Mbeki's resignation as
South African president to affect the unity agreement.
- Reuters