Monday International News

Zimbabwe parties closer
to full-on talks
Agence France-Presse . Harare
Zimbabwe’s rival parties have moved closer to a deal to allow fully-fledged talks on the country’s crisis, state media said Sunday, after sanctions against Robert Mugabe’s regime were vetoed at the UN.
Following vetoes by China and Russia on the targeted measures at the UN Security Council, Zimbabwean state media reported negotiators from the opposition and ruling parties had tentatively agreed on terms for detailed talks.
‘The working framework that has been agreed to so far removes the sticking points between the negotiating parties and paves way for serious talks,’ the Sunday Mail newspaper said, citing what it called highly placed sources.
The ruling ZANU-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change are to draft a memorandum of engagement, which will be subject to approval by the parties’ leaders, according to the government mouthpiece.
It will set out terms for talks following Mugabe’s widely condemned one-man election, including the timeframe, the composition of the negotiating teams and the agenda for discussions, according to the paper.
A South African newspaper reported Sunday that Zimbabwe’s rival parties were set to meet again on Wednesday in Harare and were expected to sign a deal that would lay the groundwork for further discussions.
The agreement would likely set out guidelines for negotiations that would occur over a 14-day period, according to The Sunday Independent.


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