Mbeki: Zim talks too slow
2004-07-01 20:03
Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki believes talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis are moving too slowly, his spokesperson said on Thursday following a weekend meeting with senior Zimbabwe opposition officials.
Mbeki met in Pretoria on Sunday with senior members of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change just days ahead of an end of June deadline set by him for a political solution to the crisis.
Mbeki is pressing President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) to enter into negotiations with the opposition to address demands for political reform.
"The meeting is part of the president's desire to get a sense of both sides of the issue," said presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo.
"He believes the informal talks between Zanu-PF and the MDC are moving too slowly."
"He is continuing his efforts to find a solution that would assist the people of Zimbabwe," said Khumalo.
Zimbabwe has been reeling since Mugabe's re-election in 2002, which the opposition charges was rigged, and a series of economic policies including land reform that have sent inflation soaring and left millions in the country, once southern Africa's breadbasket, in need of food aid.
Mugabe has steadfastly ruled out talks with the opposition, charging that the MDC is a front for Western countries bent on driving him from office.
Mbeki met for more than an hour with MDC Vice President Gibson Sibanda and the party's secretary general Welshman Ncuba among others in the delegation from Harare who travelled to Pretoria at the president's request.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is unable to travel outside Zimbabwe after his passport was confiscated when he was charged with treason in 2002.
The meeting was held after Mbeki's government came in for sharp criticism from opposition parties in and human rights groups for failing to confront Mugabe on the crisis in his country.
Mbeki's aides last year said a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis could be reached by the end of June and the president assured visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in January that the ruling party and the opposition were engaged in talks.