afrol News, 12 September - United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has commended power-sharing agreement signed by Zimbabwean government and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare yesterday, saying he hoped deal would bring about long lasting peace and political-economic recovery in the country.

In a statement released today, UN press office said secretary general welcomed pact reached by both parties on a government of national unity.

"He hopes that this agreement will pave way for a durable peace and recovery in country and contribute to rapid improvement in welfare and human rights of people of Zimbabwe, who have suffered for long," statement said.

Mr Ban congratulated parties for finally arriving at an agreement and praised South African president Thabo Mbeki, the mediator, for "his tireless efforts to help them reach it."

UN has been supporting South African-led mediation process through Mr Ban's special envoy Haile Menkerios.

Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe's political rivals reached deal in a bid to end a bitter crisis after lengthy talks, which centred on how much authority president Robert Mugabe would cede.

Mbeki announced the agreement in Harare, where he had been since earlier in the week to try to overcome a deadlock in negotiations.

Details of pact have not yet been released and Mr Mbeki said agreement would only be made public after a formal signing ceremony scheduled for next Monday.

Ruling South African ANC party has also welcomed the deal. President Mbeki congratulated people of Zimbabwe and its political leadership after lengthy debates.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said agreement was important to South Africa.

Ms Duarte said outcome of a peaceful settlement for Zimbabwe will bring a great deal of prosperity and peace to Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

She noted that party congratulates Mr Mbeki for this remarkable achievement.

"Agreement has once more underlined our often stated view that only people of Zimbabwe, acting with support of international community, can author their own destiny out of current political and economic challenges facing their country," foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa, said in a statement.

Agreement is due to be signed under aegis of SADC next week Monday in Harare.

"Indeed, while this is cause for celebration, we are all too aware that this historic milestone constitutes but end of beginning," statement read.

A call was made to international community to give its unequivocal support to Zimbabweans as they start out along this new road.

Mr Mbeki, who has been mediating talks between rival parties, made an announcement on deal yesterday. He has been there since earlier in week to try to overcome a deadlock in the negotiations.

Despite pact, it is still not clear how Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Tsvangirai will divide authority to govern Zimbabwe.

Under agreement, officials said, Mr Tsvangirai would become prime minister and oversee a council of ministers that would formulate and carry out policies while Mr Mugabe would retain his title of president.

Officials further said that Mr Mugabe would still head a cabinet of ministers that would supervise council. That arrangement appears to give both men power to oversee same group of ministers.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa could not tell media who would rule country, but instead replied, "This is an inclusive government."

Mr Chamisa noted that executive power would be shared by president, prime minister and cabinet.

Zimbabwe has been caught in a political stalemate since Mugabe held onto presidency in a June runoff election that was widely denounced as a sham. Country is crippled by an inflation rate that runs into millions of percents and traumatised by an election period in which human rights groups say that thousands of opposition supporters were brutally beaten by state-sponsored enforcers.

Even as the talks neared their conclusion Wednesday, opposition released a statement charging that there had been a plot by ruling party, ZANU-PF, to topple its newly elected leader of Parliament.

On Monday, as talks were getting under way again, political editor of the state-run newspaper, a mouthpiece for Mugabe, reportedly accused opposition of "a cancerous connection with Britain and other Western countries."

By staff writer

© afrol News

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