HARARE – President Jacob Zuma’s mediation effort in Zimbabwe is being thwarted by failure by the three principals in the Harare coalition to meet to discuss the final report submitted by their negotiators, a top South African official has said.

The talks to iron out issues still outstanding from implementation of a 2008 power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF party and the two MDC formations led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara have dragged on since the former foes agreed to join hands in February 2009 in a coalition government that has been credited with stabilising the country’s economy to improve the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

Negotiators from ZANU PF and the two MDC formations concluded talks on April 3 2010 and gave their final report to Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara and Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediator Zuma.

But Zuma's international relations advisor – Lindiwe Zulu – who is also a member of the South African leader's facilitation team in the Harare talks, said on Thursday that since April 3 the three principals have failed to meet due to tight schedules.

Zulu said the facilitation team, which also includes former Cabinet ministers Charles Nqakula and Mac Maharaj, was waiting for Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara to first meet and deliberate on the negotiators' report before the South Africans can resume their mediation process.

Zulu said Zuma’s next visit to Zimbabwe depended on the principals’ recommendations to him on the way forward regarding the contentious issues.

“As the South African facilitation team, we are waiting for the principals to meet over the final report submitted to them. Since we left Harare about three weeks, they have not met because of various reasons. When we were last here the three principals were busy attending the World Economic Forum (WEF),” she said, referring to last week’s WEF in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

The foreign sojourns by the three principals have made it impossible for them to hold their weekly Monday meetings.

Tsvangirai last week confirmed the principals had not been able to meet, citing tight schedules. This week he was again away to pick a human rights award in Washington, in the United States.

Zulu added: “But it is our hope that they meet soon to accept the final report, work on the recommendations of the report and indicate what they intend to do on the outstanding issues.”

She said it would be futile for Zuma or the facilitation team to visit Harare when the three principals were yet to meet and deliberate on the final report.

”President Zuma can only come once the principals have met and when there is a way forward on the outstanding issues. When he eventually comes, he will be coming to engage but only after the principals have set the ball-rolling by meeting,” she said.

Meanwhile Zuma on Wednesday told the South African Parliament that Harare coalition parties have agreed on most issues under discussion in the talks to implement the 2008 global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the power-sharing government.

Zuma said he has since received a report on the discussions and would present it to the chairman of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique and the regional bloc.

“The Zimbabwean negotiation process is well underway and some achievements have been registered,” Zuma said, adding; “The parties have established a team that comes from all parties that will appeal to the international community to call for the withdrawal of sanctions. The parties have also agreed to put in place various commissions that will help to move the country and the negotiation process forward. The commissioners have already been sworn in. The commissioners enjoy the respect of all Zimbabweans across the political spectrum.” 

Zuma said negotiations on other issues were still underway with proposals on how to “unlock the impasse” still being considered.

“There is hope and optimism that a solution would be found as we continue to engage with all the relevant stakeholders,” he said, adding that the parties – who had also agreed on the appointment of provincial governors and establishment of a National Economic Council – were still consulting on the appointment of the anti-corruption commission.

"With the acquittal of Mr Roy Bennett, one issue that was an obstacle has been removed," Zuma said, unaware that Zimbabwean prosecutors who had hinted they would not appeal the MDC politician's acquittal had made a spectacular U-turn and filed an appeal at the Supreme Court

By Zimonline