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South African Facilitator Dismisses Warning of 'Sharp Escalation' in Harare as 'Posturing'


Lindiwe Zulu, a foreign affairs adviser to South African President Jacob Zuma, told VOA that all the governing parties in Harare must stick to the terms of the power-sharing agreement their leaders signed in September 2008

A key adviser to South African President Jacob Zuma on the evolving situation in Zimbabwe on Tuesday dismissed as "posturing" a warning from an official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change as to the risk of "escalation" if issues troubling power-sharing aren't resolved.

MDC Policy Coordinator Eddie Cross told South African reporters Sunday that the national unity government in Harare stood at risk of unraveling with “a sharp escalation” of tensions if no resolution of those issues was achieved.

Hardliners in President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party have said that MDC demands will not be met until Western sanctions targeting Mr. Mugabe and numerous other senior ZANU-PF officials are lifted at the MDC's behest.

Negotiators for ZANU-PF, Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC and a rival MDC formation led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara have yet to grapple with the most divisive issues on the table, including the leadership of the Reserve Bank and the Office of the Attorney General, and swearing-in MDC governors.

From Pretoria, South Africa, Lindiwe Zulu, a foreign affairs adviser to Zuma - mediator in Zimbabwe for the Southern African Development Community - told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that all of the governing parties need to stick to the terms of the agreement their leaders signed in September 2008.

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