Zanu-PF, MDC to discuss sanctions

By Morris Mkwate
http://www.sundaymail.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=21118&cat=12

THE ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition MDC parties have agreed to debate the effects of the sanctions that some Western governments have imposed on Zimbabwe in the on-going Sadc-brokered dialogue. 


Although both parties have confirmed that the issue has been placed on the agenda, details of the talks were not available by yesterday. 

Justice Minister and Zanu-PF negotiator Cde Patrick Chinamasa told the House of Assembly during debate on the Constitutional Amendment (No. 18) Bill last Tuesday that the two parties would also discuss the land reform programme. He said the two items were among several others on the agenda. 

Cde Chinamasa indicated that the issues would be attended to after Parliament's passing of the Bill. The proposed Constitutional amendments have gone through the House of Assembly and now await transmission to the Senate. 

"An agenda composed of a broad range of issues, including discussion on the principle of coming up with a new Constitution, and, if agreed, the modalities by which this can be handled, was agreed upon," said Cde Chinamasa. 

"Other issues on this agenda are the land question and sanctions," he added. 

The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Nicholas Goche, who is also a negotiator for the ruling party, told The Sunday Mail in an interview last week that the agreement to debate the sanctions had been reached at the Sadc talks' first meeting held at the end of May.

He said the MDC wanted the two parties to discuss provisions of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which they deemed to be repressive.

"On our side, of course, we wanted to make sure that we discussed the land issue and that we are one as far as that issue is concerned. We also wanted to discuss the illegal sanctions. 

"As far as we are concerned, the opposition has also been involved in campaigning for sanctions to be imposed against this country.

"We also wanted to discuss the pirate radio stations that are demonising the Government of Zimbabwe and seemed in favour of the opposition. So that was the basis upon which the agenda was agreed upon," said Cde Goche.

In March this year, an extraordinary Sadc heads of state summit in Tanzania passed a resolution advocating dialogue between Zanu-PF and the MDC.

South African President Mr Thabo Mbeki was appointed mediator under the initiative whose main objective is to iron out stark political differences between the two parties.

So far about 20 meetings have been convened, with a three-member team led by South Africa's Local Government Minister Mr Sydney Mufamadi facilitating the deliberations. 

Cde Chinamasa and Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Cde 

Nicholas Goche form the Zanu-PF negotiating team while that of the MDC comprises Professor Welshman Ncube and Mr Tendai Biti, who belong to the Arthur Mutambara and Morgan Tsvangirai factions of the party respectively.

Several matters will be discussed in the second half of the dialogue, but deliberations on sanctions have in the meantime caught instant attention. For the past seven years, the matter has been at the centre of Zimbabwean politics as the sanctions are widely seen to be having debilitating effects on the economy.

Government says the sanctions are a direct retaliation to the country's land reform programme, which sought to address imbalances in land distribution.

The West denies this notion, but analysts say the economy-crippling measures are at the centre of the socio-economic problems that Zimbabwe is facing.

Cde Chinamasa said the dialogue was progressing in terms of a two-track process. The first track is the expeditious passing of the Bill while the second entails discussing outstanding issues, including sanctions and the land question.

"The parties agreed that upon resolution of these issues, the total package can be referred to our respective constituencies for approval and endorsement," said Cde Chinamasa.

"Of the two parallel tracks referred to above, the first is the more urgent and Zanu-PF and the MDC's negotiating teams agreed on a raft of amendments to the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill (No. 18) subject to approval from their principals."

Prof Ncube confirmed that the negotiating parties would, among other concessions, deliberate on the sanctions. 

"They (sanctions) are on the agenda and we will deal with them," he said.

"We hope that we will find each other in all these issues. When we come back to this House we will come back with a package which includes resolutions on all the issues that have divided us over the last eight years or so."

The revelation that the sanctions will now be debated by the two parties come in the wake of threats by British Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown that he was looking at toughening sanctions against Zimbabwe.

"We are prepared to consider further sanctions. There are, in fact, 130 people or so (in Zimbabwe) who are subject to these sanctions. I believe that these sanctions could be extended to the families of people so more people could be under sanctions," he said. 

"We will be prepared to extend these sanctions and we will do so with proposals to the European Union in the next few days," Mr Brown told ITV News on Thursday. 

Developments in Harare are thus expected to rile the British who are banking on sanctions in their regime change strategy.

Meanwhile, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) has emerged among the few voices that have condemned the agreement between Zanu-PF and the MDC to amend the Constitution.

In a statement last week, the NCA claimed the MDC's approval of the amendment was "treacherous". The organisation also advocated the complete overhaul of the Constitution.

"As a matter of principle, the NCA rejects piece-meal amendments to the current Constitution," read the statement. 

Debating the amendments in the House of Assembly, MDC (Tsvangirai faction) deputy leader and Makokoba legislator Ms Thokozani Khupe said her party was committed to the on-going dialogue. 

Reacting to news of the agreement, most analysts last week commended the two parties saying the move was a demonstration of political maturity and unity of purpose.

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