Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Regional leaders meet to tackle Zimbabwe crisis
Mon Jan 26, 2009 3:17am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Stella Mapenzauswa and MacDonald Dzirutwe
PRETORIA (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe meets regional leaders at a summit in South Africa on Monday to seek approval to form a government with or without his rivals, a stance critics say will deepen his country's crisis.
Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), signed a power-sharing agreement in September but have been deadlocked over control of cabinet posts, with neither side showing any sign of compromise.
Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party have urged the opposition to join a unity government but say they will not hesitate to form one without him.
A deputy minister billed Monday's summit as the last chance for rescuing the power-sharing pact, viewed as the best hope for averting total collapse in Zimbabwe, where prices double every day and cholera has killed more than 2,700 people.
"The way forward soon after this summit, whether there is an agreement or there is no agreement, President Mugabe is going to form a cabinet," deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga told South African public broadcaster SAFM radio. "He will obviously try to leave room for Tsvangirai so that whenever he changes his mind, but that is not going to be for too long," he said.
Tsvangirai says ZANU-PF is trying to sideline it and wants control of powerful ministries such as Home Affairs. He says no deal is possible unless party activists are released from jail.
The 15-nation Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) summit hosted by South African President Kgalema Motlanthe hopes to break the impasse as Zimbabwe heads toward economic collapse and grapples with a humanitarian crisis.
Similar summits have failed to push the political process forward largely because SADC is divided over how it should deal with Mugabe, analysts say.
SADC members such as Botswana and Zambia have taken a tough line on Mugabe, who has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980, but others still revere him as a former liberation hero.
Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, one of Mugabe's harshest critics, will attend Monday's summit. Ties between Zimbabwe and neighboring Botswana were strained when Khama said a new election was the only solution to the crisis.
Regional leaders including SADC mediator and former South African President Thabo Mbeki failed last week to persuade the rivals to form a government.
Mugabe has accused the MDC of working with Western powers to oust him. He has remained defiant through several rounds of talks that have stalled over the control of cabinet ministeries.
Western leaders want Mugabe to step down and are pushing for a democratic government to embrace economic reforms before billions of dollars in aid is offered.
Without a political settlement, it is unlikely sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries will be lifted.
Zimbabwe, ravaged by the world's highest rate of inflation, severe food and fuel shortages and a virtually worthless economy, faces Africa's biggest cholera epidemic in a decade. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
My Web
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Ethiopia pulls last troops from Somalia
Also on Reuters
Video
Video: Thai Scorpion Queen breaks record
Full Coverage: Year in Review 2008
Pope becomes one of world's oldest YouTube stars
More International News
Hague prosecutor: Congo warlord used children to kill
Bicycle bomb kills five in NW Pakistan
Israel promises troops legal backing over Gaza war
| Video
Iceland's ruling parties meet, future uncertain
Sri Lankan troops fight toward finale with Tigers
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
UPDATE 3-'Slumdog' emerges as Oscar favorite after SAG win
Challenges loom as Obama seeks space weapons ban
Lehman's Fuld sold Florida mansion to wife for $100
California's "train wreck" a golden opportunity?
Recession hits Silicon Valley as layoffs pile up
Obama acts to reverse Bush climate moves: officials
U.S. business climate worst in 27 years: survey
BofA played role in $4 billion Merrill bonuses: report
Jews struggle to come to grips with Madoff
Israel promises troops legal backing over Gaza war | Video
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Thai Scorpion Queen breaks record
Israeli PM's promise to his troops
Indian PM undergoes surgery
Ten dead in Turkey avalanche
3 killed in Scottish avalanche
BBC resists pressure over Gaza
Chinese New Year celebrations
Bullfighter, 11, 'breaks record'
Gaza's children go back to school
Busy week for President Obama
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
The Great Debate
World Affairs:
Obama, Iran and Nixon
Bernd Debusmann
Should President Barack Obama take his cue from Richard Nixon and his 1972 breakthrough with China in dealing with Iran? Commentary
Full Coverage: Barack Obama's First 100 Days
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.