HARARE - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday attended the first National Security Council (NSC) meeting, also attended by the country’s service chiefs who last year vowed never to salute the premier.

This was the first time the NSC met since Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe and deputy premier Arthur Mutambara formed an inclusive government last February.

Sources who attended the meeting said Mugabe and Tsvangirai sat with army generals Constantine Chiwenga and Philip Sibanda, air force commander Perrence Shiri, Central Intelligence Organisation director general Happyton Bonyongwe.

Not in the meeting was prisons commissioner Paradzai Zimondi and police commissioner Augustine Chihuri. Finance Minister Tendai Biti was also absent. Chihuri was represented by his deputy Levy Sibanda.

Also in the meeting were vice president Joice Mujuru, deputy premiers Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe, defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, security minister Sydney Sekeremayi, co-home affairs minister Giles Mutsekwa and economic development minister Elton Mangoma.

The sources said the meeting was an “introductory one”.

"It was very warm, very cordial and very inclusive. Everybody who spoke, spoke on the centrality of national interest as the most important aspect of our nationhood," Sekeramayi told journalists after the meeting.

The security council, which replaced the Joint Operations Command, met for the first time despite that in terms of the law it should “meet at least once in every calendar month”.

The council is made up of the president and vice presidents, the premier and deputy premiers, ministers responsible for finance, defence forces, the police force and one minister nominated by each of the three political parties in the GPA.

The Minister of National Security, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Secretary to the Premier and commanders of the defence forces, the army and air force, commissioner-general of police, commissioner of prisons and director-general of the CIO are ex-officio members of the council.

The council, among other things, review national policies on security, defence and law and order -- recommending or directing appropriate action.

The council, it was alleged, never met before because service chiefs were not cooperative because they were against the formation of the inclusive government. – ZimOnline.

By Zimonline