JOHANNESBURG – South African President Jacob Zuma on Monday said Zimbabwe's inclusive government should fully implement last year’s Global Political Agreement (GPA) to end squabbles threatening viability of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) brokered political settlement.

Addressing more than 4 000 delegates at the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) 10th national congress in Midrand, Johannesburg, Zuma called upon Zimbabwe's three political principals – President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara – to respect the power-sharing agreement.

"We must emphasise the need for the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement,” Zuma said, adding; "As neighbours, the Zimbabwean situation is real for us, it is not theoretical. We have a direct interest in the sustainable finalisation of the political settlement."

Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the MDC formations led by Tsvangirai and Mutambara signed a power-sharing GPA last year leading to the formation of a coalition government in February to end a political crisis following an inconclusive presidential election last year.

But the unity government is beset with problems with the MDC accusing ZANU PF of failing to honour an agreement to reverse the appointments of political allies to the key posts of central bank governor and attorney general and saying pro-Mugabe police and state prosecutors have continued to target the former opposition party’s activists and legislators for arrest in violation of the power-sharing deal.

On the other hand ZANU PF insists it has done the most to uphold the power-sharing deal and instead accuses the MDC of reneging on promises to campaign for lifting of Western sanctions on Mugabe and his top allies.

Zuma, who two weeks ago surrendered the SADC chairmanship to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila, urged the 14-nation bloc to continue supporting Zimbabwe but stressed that respect of the GPA was the main issue if progress was to be fully achieved.

The South African leader also called on his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and COSATU to assist in the resolution of the challenges in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, United Sates (US) Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said on Monday the Washington reserved the right to lift the sanctions it slapped on “approximately 220” individuals in Mugabe’s previous and also at “entities that they possess or may own”.

"We reserve the right to lift those sanctions when we want to do so and when we see progress. We have sought to engage on Zimbabwe. We would like to see Zimbabwe not be a drag on SADC and the region, and we would like to see a return to democracy,” said Carson.

"We do not believe that the global political agreement has been implemented and that we do not believe enough has been done."

The US and its Western allies have maintained visa and financial sanctions against Mugabe and his senior lieutenants as punishment for their failure to uphold the rule of law, democracy and human rights.

But a summit of SADC leaders in the DRC two weeks ago called for the lifting of the sanctions that they said were hampering efforts to rebuild Zimbabwe’s economy.

By Zimonline