Zimbabwe - coalition government crisis

Tsvangirai calls off Mugabe party boycott

Article published on the 2009-11-06 Latest update 2009-11-06 08:21 TU

Morgan Tsvangirai at the Southern African Development Community Summit in Maputo
(Photo: Reuters)

Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called off his party’s boycott of unity government partners Zanu-PF. The boycott had frozen relations with President Robert Mugabe and paralysed the government.

"We have suspended our disengagement in the government," Tsvangirai told reporters after talks at an emergency regional summit to break the impasse in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

He said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit had agreed that the three main political parties will meet within the next 15 days to settle their disagreements.

"Within 30 days all issues must be cleared," he said.

Tsvangirai cut ties with what he termed Mugabe's "dishonest and unreliable" camp on October 16, saying the boycott would end when unsettled matters were ironed out, including a crackdown on his supporters and disputes over posts.

Mugabe made no comment to reporters after the talks but deputy premier Arthur Mutambara said he was "very satisfied".

South Africa, which brokered the pact last September for the SADC which brought the coalition government into being, is to monitor and facilitite progress.