.....SADC mediation team jets in
.....MDC wants elections if facilitation fails

HARARE - The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) facilitation team appointed by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma to assist in negotiations between parties to the Global Political Agreement arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday and met negotiators from the three parties.

The Changing Times heard MDC negotiators and others from Zanu PF and the Arthur Mutambara-led formation held 2-hour long discussions with the visiting team of facilitators, comprising South African ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj, and President Zuma's international relations advisor Lindiwe Zulu. The negotiators then met on their own after the meeting with the facilitation team, to forge ahead with Global Political Agreement (GPA) talks.

Yesterday's meeting was the first since talks adjourned two weeks ago after the ruling MDC declared a deadlock, and referred the dispute to South Africa President Jacob Zuma, Sadc's point man in the Zimbabwe dialogue. Zuma then dispatched his team to Zimbabwe yesterday, to try and resolve the deadlock,caused by Zanu PF's intransigence and refusal to implement the GPA in full.

MDC national spokesperson, Hon Nelson Chamisa told The Changing Times yesterday the people of Zimbabwe hoped the facilitation team will help unlock the deadlock, failure must lead to fresh, free and fair elections under the supervision of the SADC. "We hope the facilitation team will unlock the logjam so that we have all outstanding issues cleared and resolved once and for all," Hon Chamisa said. "If that fails, there is only one option, putting in place an electoral regime to facilitate for free and fair elections and that is what will give real change to Zimbabwe. We are hoping the facilitation will be successful, if not lets agree on a framework for a free and fair election."

The South African facilitation team was expected to assess the position and report back to President Zuma ahead of his visit to Harare, tentatively scheduled for February 13, the first anniversary of the inclusive government. Ahead of Monday's crucial meeting with the facilitation, Mugabe hastily moved to unblock progress on a number of issues in a move that seemed designed to stem potential censure by Zuma for deliberately stalling the implementation of a series of issues agreed upon as part of the inclusive government.

The Changing Times understands a top executive meeting was hastily convened last Friday where Prime Minister Tsvangirai met with Mugabe and his Vice-Presidents, together with the two Deputy Prime Ministers where discussions centered on constitutional commissions and the circular from the President’s office on Vice- Presidential responsibilities.

The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, had issued a circular to ministers dated 25th January directing them to report to the Vice- Presidents, who would assist the President in their "supervision and management". MDC interpreted this as undermining the Prime Minister’s authority, as under Article 20 of the GPA as enshrined in Constitution Amendment No. 19, the Prime Minister "shall oversee the formulation of government policies by the Cabinet" and "shall ensure that the policies so formulated are implemented by the entirety of government".
The Changing Times heard that Mugabe conceded after Friday's meeting that the circular was unconstitutional, null and void.

That same Friday, the National Security Council also met, the second such meeting since the formation of the inclusive government almost a year ago. Under the NSC Act the Council should have been meeting monthly. Prior to Friday's NSC meeting, the three GPA principals, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara had met and announced two chairs of two constitutional commissions - the Independent Electoral Commission and the Human Rights Commission.

Justice Simpson Mtambanengwe will head the IEC while Professor Reg Austin will chair the Human Rights Commission.However, there is still a long way to go in the outstanding issues. Zanu (PF) has staunchly rebuffed calls to dismantle or reform the Joint Operations Command (JOC), a military junta which is the real power behind Mugabe, which Mugabe's party insists should remain in existence to oversee operational matters while the NSC handles matters of policy.

The MDC is insisting on the dismantling of JOC, essentially a parallel government structure, convened behind President Tsvangirai's back by Mugabe and heads of the intelligence agency, military, police and prisons. South Africa, which is mediating in the Zimbabwe negotiations is keen to have all outstanding issues from the GPA resolved before it hosts the soccer World Cup in June.

The facilitation team has been engaged with the Zimbabwe talks since the MDC's October "disengagement" from cabinet meetings with Mugabe's Zanu PF party, accusing it of being an "unreliable partner." The MDC called off the boycott after mediation by the Sadc. Mugabe is refusing to appoint five MDC provincial governors as outlined in the GPA, and to swear in Senator Roy Bennett, the MDC's nominee for deputy
agriculture minister.

The 86-year-old president has also refused to sack allies he appointed as central bank governor and attorney general without consulting President Tsvangirai. Mugabe says the MDC should call off Western sanctions against his party and ask the West to shut down what he calls "pirate radio stations" broadcasting into Zimbabwe from the United States and Britain. Yet the MDC has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called 'sanctions' or the legitimate radio stations forced into exile by the harsh broadcasting environment back home.

The MDC has consistently called for media reforms to facilitate the repatriation of exiled media.