Harare: South African President Jacob Zuma met on Friday with Zimbabwe`s bickering leaders in a bid to resolve a raft of disputes that have shaken the still-fragile unity government.
Zuma met for nearly two hours with Zimbabwe`s veteran President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, but none of the leaders made any remarks about their talks at a Harare hotel.
Zuma flew into Harare late Thursday, on his first presidential visit to the neighbouring country, voicing confidence that compromises would be found.
"The remaining issues are not insurmountable and can be overcome," Zuma said at a state dinner late Thursday, in remarks made before reporters. "The most difficult part has been travelled."
Zuma also held one-on-one talks late into the night Thursday with Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader who joined the unity government in February in a bid to halt the violence that erupted around last year`s elections.
The two had met earlier in August in Johannesburg, where Tsvangirai told Zuma that his supporters suffered ongoing harassment from police.
Tsvangirai and Mugabe also remain deadlocked over key appointments, including the head of the central bank and the attorney general.
Mugabe sought to downplay his differences with Tsvangirai, calling their disputes "teething problems".
"I am happy to inform you that the inclusive government is alive and well," Mugabe told Zuma at the dinner.
"Indeed, a political accommodation of this nature is bound to experience teething problems," he added.
The 85-year-old, in power since independence nearly three decades ago, again insisted the main problem facing the government was Western sanctions against him and his inner circle.
"Those countries who have hitherto imposed sanctions on us still maintain these illegal punitive measures inspite of progress we have made as an inclusive government," Mugabe said.
"We have made progress since the formation of the inclusive government," he said. "Inflation has been tamed and schools and hospitals are functioning. Our greatest factor is sanctions."
The sanctions include a travel ban and a freeze on bank accounts in the European Union and United States.
Despite the disputes, the new government has stabilised Zimbabwe`s shattered economy and begun seeking international aid to rebuild a nation devastated by years of world-record hyperinflation.
Zimbabwe still faces a daunting humanitarian crisis, with 2.8 million people in need of food aid and fears of a new cholera outbreak, after the disease killed 4,200 people over the last year, according to the United Nations.
Mugabe faces pressure from within his own ZANU-PF party to avoid any compromises that would further erode the party`s power.
But western countries are insisting on greater political reforms from Mugabe before offering direct aid to his government, which says it needs USD 8.3 billion (EUR 5.8 billion) to revive the civil service and jump start the economy.
To date the inclusive government has raised just over USD two billion, mostly coming from continental organisations and China.
South Africa is Zimbabwe`s leading trading partner, but even its efforts to invest in the country have been frustrated by Mugabe`s refusal to offer guarantees, particularly for the security of land investments.
After Zuma`s talks Friday morning, he is set to address the Harare Agricultural Show, the country`s biggest farm trade fair, before returning home.
Bureau Report
