Mugabe is a ‘political criminal’ says top foreign politician


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Alfonso Dhlakama, head of the opposition Renamo party in Mozambique at the weekend branded Robert Mugabe a “political criminal”.

Weekend reports say Dhlakama said Mugabe used to be his hero but he now consider him as a “political criminal to the Zimbabweans who were denied the result of their choice in the recent elections,”

Mozambique is traditionally an ally of Mugabe, but the international condemned June presidential run-off election that saw the 84 year old leader snatch back power has seen many former allies turn their back his regime.

Dhlakama said the current power sharing negotiations “were done in bad faith” and echoed the wide spread sentiment that the talks are “a bad example to African and the whole world”.

He said it “encourages African leaders who lose elections to resort to robbing elections and rely on the solutions of their friends to continue to cling to power”.

Meanwhile, Crisis talks in Zimbabwe between the government and the opposition, mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, broke down early Monday morning, and were expected to resume later in the day.

The talks, to finalise a power-sharing deal to end the two sides’ long-running political stand-off, started around mid-day Sunday and dragged on into the early hours of Monday.

A deal on power-sharing between the government and the opposition, both of whom claim to have won the last presidential election two months ago, was reported to have been reached before Sunday’s three-way talks with Mbeki.

But last minute disagreements seem to have appeared, forcing Mbeki to extend his two-day visit to Zimbabwe.

Officials were tight-lipped about the talks, which are focused on power-sharing between President Robert Mugabe and his main political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change.

The Zimbabwean leader, emerging from the talks at 1.34 am, told reporters the negotiations would resume again later Monday.

He indicated that an agreement could be signed, replying ‘why not’ to a reporter’s question whether a deal could still be reached with the opposition.

Under a widely reported outline agreement, Mugabe would retain the presidency, and Tsvangirai the premiership.

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