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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Talks, dialogue, negotiations and GNU - Post June 2008 "elections" - Index of articles
Mugabe
to name ministers 'soon'
BBC News
November 14, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7728800.stm
Information Minister
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu told state media that the government would be
"inclusive" but did not give further details.
The main opposition party
has refused a suggestion to share the ministry of home affairs with
Mr Mugabe's party.
The two groups have agreed
to share power but not on cabinet posts.
The leadership of the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is meeting later
to discuss its response to the failure of Sunday's regional talks
to break the impasse.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
accuses Mr Mugabe of trying to grab most powers for him and his
officials and insists he will hold out for an equitable distribution
of power.
One party official said
it would be the most difficult decision the MDC had taken since
its formation in 1999.
The dilemma is whether
to join the government "under protest" and yield to regional
pressure by agreeing to co-manage the ministry of home affairs,
which controls the police.
BBC southern Africa correspondent
Peter Biles says the MDC could boycott the new government on the
grounds that it does not represent genuine power-sharing.
Mr Tsvangirai argues
that, under current plans, Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party would hold
the defence and state security portfolios and so would dominate
the security forces.
Under the terms
of the deal Mr Tsvangirai
is supposed to be named prime minister, Zanu-PF would have 15 cabinet
posts, Mr Tsvangirai's MDC 13 and a breakaway MDC group three.
Arthur Mutambara, who
leads the smaller MDC group, has urged Mr Tsvangirai to accept the
latest offer on power-sharing.
Mr Mugabe has reportedly
agreed to let the MDC run the finance ministry, in order to kick-start
the devastated economy.
Mr Mugabe was re-elected
as Zimbabwe's president in June, after Mr Tsvangirai withdrew from
the second round of voting citing violence.
Zimbabwe is suffering
from severe food shortages and rampant inflation, and the MDC leader
has warned that a million Zimbabweans could starve to death in a
year if the political deadlock continues.
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