Zimbabwe removed from SADC summit agenda (Roundup)

Sep 7, 2009, 16:20 GMT

Kinshasa - Issues relating to Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal have been removed from the agenda of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, a spokesman for Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Monday.

'Zimbabwe is no longer on the agenda, and the SADC indicates that an extraordinary summit to discuss the issues will be held shortly,' James Maridadi told the German Press Agency dpa on the sidelines of the two-day summit of heads of state, which opened Monday in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

While there was no confirmed commitment from the SADC that such a summit would take place, Maridadi expressed confidence that it would take place in the coming weeks.

Congolese President Joseph Kabila, who took over the chairmanship of the SADC from South African President Jacob Zuma, called on Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF to continue talks as outlined in the SADC-sponsored peace deal.

Both Tsvangirai and Mugabe were present at the summit.

The power-sharing government was established last September to try to end Zimbabwe's twin political and economic crises. An estimated 100 MDC supporters were murdered in disputed presidential elections last year, while the economy hit rock bottom and inflation hit 500 billion per cent.

Some delegates privately expressed concern at the news of a possible postponement.

Tensions between Harare and the SADC have been apparent since last Thursday, when Zimbabwe's Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa shrugged off a SADC land tribunal ruling.

The ruling said Harare could not evict 78 farmers from their properties, a move meant to ward off future land grabs.

With Zimbabwe off the agenda, the summit is expected to focus on Madagascar.

Leaders are expected to hear a report from the SADC envoy for Madagascar, former Mozambican president Joachim Chissano, and to vote on the Indian Island's suspension from SADC, a reaction to the ousting of president Marc Ravalomanana by interim president Andry Rajoelina.

At talks in Maputo last month, Rajoelina, Ravalomanana and two other former presidents, ex-dictator Didier Ratsiraka and ex- president Albert Zafy, agreed to form a power-sharing government in a bid to restore stability to the vast Indian Ocean island of 20 million people.

The deal gave them 30 days from August 9 to agree on the composition of the government. Until now, they have failed to agree on who should become president, vice-president and prime minister.