Reopening of parliament renders negotiations meaningless

"When reopening parliament usually a new government is formed and the constitution and powers of that government are the actual issues discussed at the negotiation table." Says Pascal Richard, coordinator of Zimbabwe Watch.

"It is not certain yet if a new government will be formed. But the reopening of the parliament can only mean two things: either ZanuPF and Mugabe have no interest at all in the negotiations, or they, together with the South African president Mbeki, who is acting in the name of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) want to force Morgan Tsvangirai to sign a deal which does not give him any executive power." Tendai Biti, the Secretary-General for MDC-Tsvangirai has indicated that the decision to reopen parliament is in total contradiction and effectively repudiates the Memory of Understanding, which was signed, by ZanuPF and both fraction of the Movement for Democratic Change-fractions on 21st of July. "If a deal is signed without any real executive power for the MDC the current humanitarian and human rights crisis in Zimbabwe will only worsen", says Promise Mkwananzi, spokesperson for the Global Zimbabwe Diaspora Forum. "SADC should instead increase pressure on ZanuPF to insure that they wield less power in a future government. SADC must also make it very clear to ZanuPF that humanitarian aid, particularly food aid, must be allowed for as quickly as possible and that human rights activists and MDC supporters are not persecuted anymore. The political violence is still continuing and we're at the bring of a humanitarian catastrophe"