Talks stalled over recognition for Mugabe

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it will launch a mass action campaign to demonstrate people's "displeasure" with the government of President Robert Mugabe. MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told IRIN on Tuesday the protest action would begin within the next two weeks, and "might last longer" than a two-day stayaway held in March and involve demonstrations. Following an inconclusive visit on Monday by three senior African presidents trying to open a dialogue between Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Nyathi said "our premise was talks can only yield something if further pressure is brought to bear on Mugabe." Mugabe demanded recognition as Zimbabwe's legitimately elected leader by the opposition before engaging in talks on resolving the country's crisis. He said the MDC would have to drop its court challenge to the results of last year's controversial presidential election in which Mugabe was declared the winner. "I am the president of the country, I have legitimacy which the MDC doesn't recognise," Mugabe said. "Does the MDC now say they recognise me? That is the issue. If they do, that means the MDC court action has to be withdrawn and we can start talks." Nyathi said the MDC had rejected Mugabe's conditions for talks. "The three presidents who came here, if they had any doubts on Mugabe's destructive rule, now have no doubts," Nyathi commented. "All he does is be a spoiler, but at the moment his back is against the wall. He's not as an important a factor as he claims to be." Presidents of Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki held separate talks in Harare with Mugabe and Tsvangirai, to encourage them to restart a dialogue process which collapsed last May because of the MDC's court challenge. Obasanjo told journalists that the three visiting leaders were "delighted" Mugabe and his government were "very anxious" for negotiations. "There is a little point [the MDC's court challenge] which we can work out. We will work on it as quickly as possible." Muluzi said after Monday's deadlock that he was asked by Mbeki and Obasanjo to hold further talks with Tsvangirai "very soon".