The two main parties in Zimbabwe's fractious national unity government continued to trade barbs on Wednesday ahead of a summit next week at which leaders of the Southern African Development Community are to take up a range of issues that continue to trouble the so-called inclusive government in place in Harare since February.
The Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, which asked SADC to review compliance with the 2008 Global Political Agreement underpinning the power-sharing arrangement, and President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, are lobbying SADC members who will gather Monday in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr. Mugabe has made the rounds of summits and other state gatherings recently telling his peers that all is well in the inclusive government with the only problem the Western targeted sanctions that remain in place. Mr. Tsvangirai’s MDC has responded by sending Deputy Information Minister Jameson Timba to such assemblies to make its case.
SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salamao said he received Mr Tsvangirai's envoy on Tuesday and spoke with Mr. Tsvangirai by phone about plans for the summit.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai in a news conference on Tuesday accused ZANU-PF of acting in bad faith and failing to respect the terms of the Global Political Agreement.
ZANU-PF Information Minister Nathan Shamuyarira accused Mr. Tsvangirai of attacking Mr. Mugabe as well as the African Union and SADC, which guaranteed the GPA. He said it was improper to raise such issues with the press instead of directly with Mr. Mugabe.
ZANU-PF Information Committee Member Chris Mutsvangwa, a former Zimbabwean ambassador to China, told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Mr. Tsvangirai is simply posturing ahead of the regional summit.
Tsvangirai MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa dismissed ZANU-PF's claims as childish, saying the MDC is taking its power-sharing issues to the GPA guarantors as is its right.