Zimbabwe's Mugabe clings to power

Robert Mugabe's officials claimed to have reached a deal to form a coalition government with a minor opposition faction yesterday in the hope of winning international legitimacy after talks with the president's main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, collapsed when Zimbabwe's leader refused to relinquish power. An agreement between Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway group from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, to form a national unity administration could give the president control of the new parliament. But it would not open the door to the foreign aid Zimbabwe needs to stabilize its wrecked economy, which is collapsing under inflation estimated at above 10 million percent. Britain and other foreign donors have said they will not unlock a $2 billion aid package until Mugabe relinquishes power to Tsvangirai who won the first round of presidential elections in March but withdrew from a run-off contest three months later amid a state-sponsored campaign of murder, beatings and abductions against his supporters. The terms of any deal with Mutambara were not immediately clear, although it is likely Mugabe offered him the newly created post of prime minister or a vice-presidency and some cabinet posts. Mugabe will retain real power. Mutambara's faction holds just 10 seats in parliament but they represent the balance of power and could keep Zanu-PF in control after it lost its outright majority for the first time since independence 28 years ago. However, it is not certain that all of the Mutambara faction would support a deal with Mugabe. Some of Mutambara's aides denied Zanu-PF's claims of an agreement and it may yet prove to be a negotiating tactic to add to pressure on Tsvangirai. Mutambara, an Oxford-educated robotics professor who appeared to look down on Tsvangirai as his intellectual inferior but who failed to connect with the mass of voters, said he would make an announcement soon. But South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, who mediated the talks in Harare, said Mugabe and Mutambara were "agreed" on the terms of a deal while Tsvangirai objected. Mbeki said the talks had not failed and were adjourned to give Tsvangirai time to consider the issues. But sources close to the MDC leader said the three days of negotiations in Harare ran into the ground after Mugabe agreed to appoint Tsvangirai as prime minister but insisted on retaining ultimate authority over government. Among the Zimbabwean leader's demands was that he be the most senior member of the cabinet. Mugabe also rejected significant constitutional reform and insisted that a new coalition administration under his authority serve a full five-year term. Tsvangirai wanted an interim government of about two years before new elections. "Mugabe wanted Tsvangirai as a ceremonial prime minister. There was never any serious intent by Mugabe to give up power," said a source close to the negotiations. "There is no future for these talks unless the facilitator [Mbeki] is able to come forward with proposals that demonstrate a change in Mugabe's position." Last night Mugabe's supporters were attempting to blame Tsvangirai for the failure of the negotiations, accusing him of storming out of the talks when they did not go his way. The MDC said Tsvangirai left when the meetings were finished. Mbeki has persistently talked up the prospects for a deal between the two main rivals for power. He arrived on Aug. 10 with his aides predicting an agreement within the day in the hopes that a new government and parliament would be installed this week; that would have permitted Mbeki to claim a great success at a regional heads of government summit in Johannesburg this weekend. But a source close to the talks described Mbeki's role as "hopelessly weak." The source said: "The pressure only went one way, on Tsvangirai, and he had no proposals to break the logjam." Human Rights Watch said on Aug. 12 the state-orchestrated campaign of violence against the opposition had claimed at least 163 lives with more than 5,000 others beaten and tortured.