MDC notifies SADC of deadlock in GPA talks

By Tichaona Sibanda
29 January 2010

The MDC-T on Friday accused ZANU PF of ‘logjamming the Global Political Agreement talks,’ and called for renewed SADC mediation between the two political parties.

“ZANU PF is the main cause of the deadlock in talks. They want negotiations devoid of principles, that is to say endless talks,” MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said in an interview with SW Radio Africa.

He said a message has been sent to SADC informing them that talks between the two parties were ‘as good as dead’ after ZANU PF indicated they would not concede to any further demands from the MDC.

“All we are waiting for now is for the negotiators to formally agree there is a deadlock. As a party we will not move on the issues of Gono and Tomana. We want these issues resolved or there is nothing. ZANU PF is responsible for tearing apart the GPA and throwing it out of the window,” Chamisa added.

Chamisa concurred with his party leader Morgan Tsvangirai who told journalists in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday that he expected a referendum on a new constitution before the end of this year, leading to fresh elections in 2011.

Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi confirmed that the Prime Minister saw this as the only route to solving the country’s political crisis. The slow paced GPA talks have dashed hopes and aspirations for democracy in a country that is slowly recovering from a decade of economic down turn.

On Wednesday ZANU PF backtracked on issues that had been agreed upon by all parties, including the appointment of provincial governors, saying that further concessions will only be made once targeted sanctions imposed on Robert Mugabe and his inner circle are removed.

Chamisa said ZANU PF were forgetting that they lost the elections in March 2008, and must be reminded that they were ‘loaned the legitimacy by the MDC in the interest of going forward and saving people from disaster.’