MDC leader agrees to attend summit
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will attend a summit in Harare next week aimed at saving an agreement to form a unity government with President Robert Mugabe, a spokesman said yesterday.
"We are not boycotting Monday’s meeting," opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.
"It is our hope that this meeting will bring closure and finality to this issue of power-sharing and enable Zimbabwe to respond to the dire situation which the people are facing," he said.
Tsvangirai had refused to go to Swaziland for a meeting with Mugabe and four regional leaders on October 20, in protest that he was only given travel documents at the last minute.
After Tsvangirai failed to show up, the regional leaders — including South Africa’s President Kgalema Motlanthe — agreed to hold a new summit next Monday in Harare.
The two rivals on September 15 agreed on the outlines of a power-sharing accord that would keep 84-year-old Mugabe as
president and make Tsvangirai the prime minister.
But negotiations over who is to control key ministries have stalled, with the opposition accusing Mugabe’s party of insincerity.
South Africa’s Motlanthe had urged Tsvangirai not to boycott the summit, saying it was "imperative for all the stakeholders in Zimbabwe to avail themselves of the opportunity" offered by the meeting.