Analyst: Zimbabweans upset by impasse

PRETORIA, South Africa, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Zimbabweans are outraged over the impasse in power-sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders, an analyst says.

As former South African President Thabo Mbeki was scheduled to arrive in Harare Monday to mediate a new round of talks, Zimbabwe political analyst George Mkwananzi told the Voice of America in Pretoria Zimbabweans were frustrated by Mugabe's "arrogance" in trying to hoard key government ministries for his ZANU-PF party.

"Indeed, there is really a cause for concern for (opposition party Movement for Democratic Change), especially if Mugabe has been exhibiting this level of arrogance whereby he has appropriated all the significant ministerial positions to his party, and has reserved some (of) what I would call chaff ministerial posts for MDC.

"It would be appreciable for the MDC to withdraw so that the ZANU-PF people can see that they cannot always have it their own way," Mkwananzi said.

He told VOA Mugabe's "strong-arming" of the MDC contravenes last month's agreement with the opposition aimed at resolving the country's economic and political crises.