Court date sets deadline for MDC-govt talks

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has warned the government that time is running out for a negotiated settlement to the country's political crisis. MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai's spokesman, William Bango, told IRIN on Tuesday that the opposition were making "overtures to [the ruling party] ZANU-PF in order for them to see that we are serious about the search for a permanent resolution to the Zimbabwe crisis". However, he added "if they don't respond by the end of October, then it will be much more difficult for the two parties to come together, because we have a pending court challenge [of President Robert Mugabe's election victory], and that hearing begins on 3 November". "Because of that it would be desirable if there's significant progress on the ground [towards dialogue between the two parties] between now and that date, which may cause the MDC to review its position with regard to that court challenge," Bango said. The MDC legal action stems from their position that Mugabe's 2002 presidential election victory was based on a rigged poll. Several international election observers declared the Zimbabwe election neither free nor fair, and as a result the country has faced sanctions from the United States, the European Union and the Commonwealth. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been under pressure to mediate in Zimbabwe, recently gave the assurance that the two parties would be having talks with a view to resolving the crisis. However, the MDC and ZANU-PF have yet to sit at a negotiating table. "You know as well as I that the minute Tsvangirai and Mugabe are facing each other in court then the chances of [a negotiated] resolution are slim," Bango noted. ZANU-PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira was not available for comment on Tuesday, his office told IRIN.