Tsvangirai eyes talks with Mugabe party members

LONDON – Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declined yesterday to rule out talking to members of Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF about a future without the veteran president.

But the head of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) denied media reports that he had met Zanu-PF members within the last couple of days to discuss a succession to Mugabe, in an interview with BBC radio. Asked if there was a chance that this kind of arrangement might work in future, he said: “We have always called on all patriotic Zimbabweans who want to see a solution about Mugabe coming together.We have always put on the table the roadmap as the only viable route to the resolution of the political crisis.I’m sure that there is national convergence on such a roadmap being worked out between some of the ruling party members and the MDC.I foresee a situation in which those who are looking towards the future within Zanu-PF see a future without Mugabe so it converges with our opinion that Mugabe has become the stumbling block.”Mugabe would likely be gone within a year, Tsvangirai added.Mugabe has indicated that presidential elections will take place next year and Tsvangirai said that Zanu-PF was ‘anxious to get him aside so they can get another candidate’.”I do not think that, given the fact that he has already announced that there will be elections next year, that he himself will play a part in that election,” he added.Mugabe should not face punishment if he were ousted from office, Tsvangirai said, speaking of an “honourable exit” for the veteran politician.”We would be happy to put him aside and get the country moving forward without him and concentrate on the job at hand,” he said.He also called for a “much more robust policy initiative towards Zimbabwe” from South Africa and said that other African countries were “just as anxious as ourselves that a negotiated settlement must be found”.Nampa-AFPAsked if there was a chance that this kind of arrangement might work in future, he said: “We have always called on all patriotic Zimbabweans who want to see a solution about Mugabe coming together.We have always put on the table the roadmap as the only viable route to the resolution of the political crisis.I’m sure that there is national convergence on such a roadmap being worked out between some of the ruling party members and the MDC.I foresee a situation in which those who are looking towards the future within Zanu-PF see a future without Mugabe so it converges with our opinion that Mugabe has become the stumbling block.”Mugabe would likely be gone within a year, Tsvangirai added.Mugabe has indicated that presidential elections will take place next year and Tsvangirai said that Zanu-PF was ‘anxious to get him aside so they can get another candidate’.”I do not think that, given the fact that he has already announced that there will be elections next year, that he himself will play a part in that election,” he added.Mugabe should not face punishment if he were ousted from office, Tsvangirai said, speaking of an “honourable exit” for the veteran politician.”We would be happy to put him aside and get the country moving forward without him and concentrate on the job at hand,” he said.He also called for a “much more robust policy initiative towards Zimbabwe” from South Africa and said that other African countries were “just as anxious as ourselves that a negotiated settlement must be found”.Nampa-AFP