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MDC 'in ready-to-take-off mode'
19/07/2008 19:28 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe's opposition is gearing up to ink an agreement that paves the way for fully-fledged talks on the country's crisis after the African Union and United Nations agreed to help bolster the mediation.
The memorandum of understanding outlining the talks agenda and ground rules, was to have been signed on Wednesday, but opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai backed out as he pushed for others players to be brought into a mediation process, which was led by President Thabo Mbeki.
A meeting on Friday between Mbeki, AU commission chairperson Jean Ping and the UN special representative to Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios, ended with an agreement to create a new body that would provide regular progress updates and allow for greater input in the talks.
"The expansion of the mediation effort is a positive and encouraging development that will embolden the integrity of the process, adds international stamina, stressing the urgent seriousness required to solve this crisis," said Nelson Chamisa of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.
Mbeki mediates talks
"The enhancement of the credibility of the process, positions the MDC in a ready-to-take-off mode," he said. Ping meantime travelled to Zimbabwe on Saturday where he met Tsvangirai, according to Chamisa.
"I can confirm that that there has been contact and exchange of views between MDC president Tsvangirai and Mr Ping from the AU," Chamisa said, while refusing to elaborate.
It could not be immediately established who else Ping was due to meet in Harare.
The MDC and President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF began preliminary talks last week aimed at establishing a framework for substantive negotiations.
The talks were mediated by Mbeki, who was handed the mediation brief by the 14-nation Southern African Development Community more than a year ago.
'We're ready to sign'
The so-called memorandum of understanding for the substantive talks, which could open as early as next week according to the media in South Africa, could be signed in coming days.
Tsvangirai was quoted in The Star newspaper as saying that the so-called "reference group", which would monitor the talks, would travel to Harare on Monday.
"I am advised that the reference group with Mbeki is coming to Harare on Monday to sign the memorandum of understanding and we will obviously sign as well.
"It is a positive step and we look forward to finding the solution we were looking for," he added. Zimbabweans had suffered enough and it was time for the crisis to end, he said.
A spokesperson for a breakaway faction of the MDC, which had also been involved in the preliminary talks, said his party had been ready to sign the document since last week.
"As far as we are concerned, we don't have any problem with the memorandum of understanding and we have actually been ready to sign it until our colleagues from the MDC-T indicated otherwise," said Edwin Mushoriwa of the smaller faction of the MDC.
- AFP
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Zimbabwe Special Report
