HARARE - Zimbabwe’s ruling party said power-sharing talks set to resume on Tuesday risked collapse because of differences with the opposition over roles in a new government.
Marathon talks between the ruling ZANU-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), seen as Zimbabwe’s best chance to end a post-election crisis and raise hopes of economic recovery, have so far failed to secure a breakthrough.
After a second day of discussions, President Robert Mugabe told reporters and supporters on Monday there was progress in talks with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and breakaway MDC faction leader Arthur Mutambara. But a ZANU-PF official told Reuters the talks were in danger of failure.
“Tsvangirai is moving goal posts, forcing us to negotiate issues which we had already agreed upon,” he said, referring to whether Mugabe would head a new unity government.
An MDC source said Mugabe refuses to give up executive powers.
Negotiations, which are expected to resume at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), began in July after Mugabe’s unopposed re-election in a June poll condemned throughout the world as unfair and boycotted by Tsvangirai because of attacks on his supporters.
There are a host of formidable issues.
First and foremost is whether Mugabe will be ready to give up some powers that have helped him keep a tight grip. Who will control the powerful security forces is another critical question.
Mugabe, who has increasingly relied on the army for support, conferred medals on 16 generals, three of them posthumously, in a ceremony on Tuesday honoring Zimbabwe’s military.
The festivities could come in handy as Mugabe tries to keep powerful figures on his side during the crucial talks. The head of the Central Intelligence Organization was also honored.
Neighboring countries fear the consequences of more instability in Zimbabwe. Deepening hardships have already driven millions of Zimbabweans to seek work abroad.
Investors are likely to remain cautious even if there is a breakthrough, seeking reassurances that any new government can rescue what was once one of Africa’s most promising economies and safeguard their money.
Nic Borain, a political consultant at HSBC, said ZANU-PF and the opposition have few options.
“I don’t foresee a total breakdown where there would essentially be war on the streets or at least very high levels of repression and exclusion,” he told Reuters.
“I don’t think they (talks) will remain on the rocks, because I think all the parties eventually have no way out of it other than talking to each other.”
All eyes may soon be on Mutambara.
The former robotics professor is emerging as a key player in power-sharing talks, political analysts say. His MDC faction’s members in parliament can bolster either Mugabe’s ZANU-PF or Tsvangirai’s main MDC party, which have almost equal numbers of seats in the lower house.
New York-based Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on regional leaders to put pressure on Zimbabwe’s government to stop what it called continued violence that threatens to undermine efforts to end the country’s political turmoil.
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