MDC-T pins hopes on Sadc summit
in [Physics]
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From: as on 13 Aug 2010 05:00 MDC-T pins hopes on Sadc summit http://www.thestandard.co.zw Wednesday, 11 August 2010 15:29 PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's (pictured below) MDC has said it will push for the resolution of all outstanding issues at this week's regional summit but President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson yesterday said the Zimbabwean crisis will not be an issue. The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Summit will be held in Windhoek, Namibia on August 16. The MDC-T wants President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF censured for failing to honour and implement outstanding issues of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed in September 2008. Nelson Chamisa, the MDC-T spokesperson, said his party was tired of Mugabe's reluctance to honour and implement provisions of the GPA signed. "We are definitely expecting resolution of all issues that have been outstanding at the summit because Zimbabwe will feature prominently at the meeting," said Chamisa. "We cannot continue like this when our partner in the inclusive government is wantonly flouting the agreement." But Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba said Zimbabwe will not be discussed at the summit. "It (Zimbabwe) will not be an issue at the summit," said Charamba. "What will happen is that the facilitator (South African President Jacob Zuma) will give an update to the troika (peace and security) which will brief the summit as a point of information and not of discussion." He said of the 27 outstanding issues, 24 had been agreed upon. Charamba accused Chamisa of peddling lies about the summit saying the MDC-T spokesperson wanted to create unnecessary conflict in the inclusive government. "There are some conflict entrepreneurs in MDC," said Charamba, "thriving on peddling of conflict where it does not exist." But Chamisa, who described Charamba as a "factory of falsehoods", chronicled a raft of issues that he said had not been agreed upon and those that have not been implemented. Among them is the unilateral appointment of central bank governor Gideon Gono and Attorney-General Johannes Tomana by Mugabe as well as his refusal to swear-in deputy minister of agriculture designate, Roy Bennett. Mugabe has refused to swear-in Bennett saying he had pending charges of terrorism and banditry. Bennett has since been cleared of the charges but is yet to be sworn-in. The MDC-T spokesperson said Zanu PF was throwing spanners in the works regarding the implementation of reforms in the media, security forces, human rights and resolving ministerial mandate related conflicts. Electoral reforms are not moving fast enough to ensure the holding of national elections next year as planned, said Chamisa. "There is lethargy when it comes to implementation," said Chamisa. "Then there are toxic and corrosive issues such as the hateful jingles they continue to play and non-consultation on major issues." Last week, Mugabe made last minute spirited efforts to remove Zimbabwe from the agenda of the summit when he visited Malawi. However, Sadc executive secretary Tomaz Salomao was quoted as saying the country will be discussed under the review of the political situation in the region. Efforts to get a comment from Salomao this week were fruitless. Zuma has been piling pressure on Mugabe, Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara to have the outstanding issues concluded without much success. Despite agreeing to collectively determine as a coalition government who must be conferred hero or heroine status, Zanu PF single-handedly conferred heroine status on Mugabe's sister, Sabina, who passed away a fortnight ago. BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
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