WORLD> Africa
Zimbabwe opposition leader Tsvangirai boycotts inter-party talks
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-07 09:56

However, Tsvangirai was reportedly against the idea that the negotiators to the talks (Chinamasa, Goche, Ncube) should attend the meeting, saying he wanted the meeting to be attended by Mugabe, Mbeki and Mutambara only.

The MDC-T leader also wanted an expanded mediation team that would include representatives seconded by the African Union (AU).

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However, during the summit that was recently held in Egypt, the AU did not pass a resolution calling for the expansion of the mediation team. Instead, the AU commended the sterling efforts being made by President Mbeki and recommended that the mediation efforts should be continued.

Despite the concerns, Tsvangirai gave Mufamadi the assurance that he would attend the meeting and it was agreed that they would meet at the residence of the SA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, from where they would all depart to Zimbabwe House on Saturday afternoon.

Tsvangirai's aides even went to the residence on Saturday without their boss and informed the SA minister that the meeting should be postponed.

This was despite the fact that Mbeki was already on his way to Harare. Mufumadi then phoned Tsvangirai who told him that he had spoken to the AU Commission chairperson Jean Ping, and was advised that the meeting could not take place unless the mediation team was expanded.

Tsvangirai reportedly said the meeting should not proceed and hung up the phone before Mufumadi could respond. And so the meeting went ahead on Saturday without the MDC-T leader.

It is understood that during the meeting, Mbeki reiterated the position that the AU did not call for the expansion of the mediation team, adding that he would talk to the AU chairman, Jakaya Kikwete, and Ping, whom he was going to meet during the G8 Summit in Japan.

During the AU summit in Egypt, Kikwete asked all leaders about three times whether they wanted the Zimbabwean issue to be handled by the SADC-appointed mediator, President Mbeki, and they all agreed.

The SA leader then gave assurances that he would ask Ping to explain to Tsvangirai that there was no AU resolution calling for the expansion of the mediation team.

By refusing to attend Saturday's meeting, Tsvangirai is effectively going against the AU and SADC leaders' resolutions.

Speaking during the meeting, Mutambara expressed his party's "unequivocal commitment to a political settlement" in the country. Mutambara bemoaned the absence of the MDC-T representatives but added that his party would participate in the negotiations because it is a separate entity from the MDC-T.