Zimbabwe's opposition says it will stop questioning the legitimacy of President Robert Mugabe even though you can't get much more illegitimate it has not dropped a court challenge to his re-election, in a move analysts say is aimed at reviving stalled talks. Zimbabwe is grappling with a political crisis and the meltdown of what was once one of Africa's most prosperous economies. Talks between the government and opposition are widely viewed as crucial to pulling the country out of its impasse. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change outlined its position in an "agenda for dialogue" that it gave on Friday to church leaders trying to broker talks between it and the government, but made available to the media only on Monday. The MDC said there must be agreement on new electoral laws, a repeal of tough security and media laws, and the disbanding of pro-government militias, among other issues.
| Do that, and Bob will dissolve... |
The MDC declined to comment on why it had dropped the issue of Mugabe's legitimacy, or on its calls for a re-run of the 2002 presidential polls, which it says Mugabe won fraudulently.
| Probably because Bob's going to announce his retirement to someplace noted for its fine restaurants and lack of African governance, so they can be in a position to actually do something other than watch the ZANU-PF fill the seat with the most senior remaining kleptocrat. |
"The MDC has an opportunity to raise some of the contentious issues once the negotiations get off the ground. The difficulty at the moment has been to get (the ruling) ZANU-PF to the negotiating table and that is what the MDC is working on," said Brian Kagoro, the coordinator of an NGO called Crisis Zimbabwe. In its agenda, the MDC said Mugabe's government should accept that the issues of governance and lack of political freedoms were at the core of Zimbabwe's crisis. "We need to return to a situation where we can hold elections whose results are not contested and are palpably a reflection of the will of the people," it said.
| A bit off topic, but have you noticed that American blacks give their kids African names, like Ashanti or Urhuru or Kwame, and Africans name their kids Brian or even Festus? Whassup widdat? |
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