ZIMBABWE: ZIMBABWE'S OPPOSITION leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has threatened to pull out of the country's power-sharing deal following President Robert Mugabe's decision to give key ministries in the unity government to his own party.
The Movement for Democratic Change and Zanu-PF have been at loggerheads since a deal was signed in Harare more than three weeks ago over how the most important posts in the new government should be divided.
On Saturday it appeared the efforts to negotiate a way out of the impasse had finally come to nought. The State-run Herald newspaper published a government list that stated Mr Mugabe was giving control of all the main ministries - including defence, home and foreign affairs, justice and mining and land - to his own party.
Despite winning a parliamentary majority in the March 29th election the MDC was given minor ministries like economic planning and investment promotion, labour and sport, arts and culture.
Addressing a rally of thousands of supporters yesterday, Mr Tsvangirai said: "An idiot wouldn't accept that, it is not power-sharing, it is power grabbing. Robert Mugabe, stop that, because if you don't, we have no right to be part of such an arrangement."
One of the main areas of contention between the unity government's participants rests with which party gets control of the country's military and police force, the institutions responsible for suppressing much of the opposition to Mr Mugabe's regime during his 28 years in power.
Mr Tsvangirai maintains that if Mr Mugabe retains control of the department of defence, then as a counterbalance his party should control home affairs, which is responsible for the police and intelligence services.
"This is not negotiable," he said. "If it means we have to suffer some more to get what the people expect, then we will suffer more."
The worsening situation has led to the regional mediator, former South African president Thabo Mbeki, being asked to intervene again.
Mr Mbeki, who was ousted as South Africa's president days after overseeing the signing of the power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe, is scheduled to arrive in Harare today to try and rescue the process from collapse.
"The allocation of the ministries and all other issues will be discussed in Harare when he meets that country's political leaders," his spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, told AFP news agency yesterday.
In yesterday's Sunday Mail, Mr Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba, said Mr Mbeki was only needed to mediate over one outstanding ministry - that of finance.
Under the power-sharing agreement, the MDC got 16 cabinet seats and Mr Mugabe's party got 15, which is a reflection of the parliamentary results.
Mr Mugabe also retained his position as president and head of the cabinet, while Mr Tsvangirai became the prime minister and head of a council of ministers responsible for government policy.
The delay in forming the new government is also pushing the country to the brink of famine as much-needed aid has yet to arrive from Western donors who remain sceptical of the old regime's commitment to the deal.