As Negotiations Seem to be in the works, Russia backs off from Support of UN Sanctions

Donna Bryson of the Associated Press reports today that the MDC and ZANU-PF have agreed to begin negotiating in South Africa today. The news broke as Tendai Biti's lawyer successfully obtained Biti's passport from the government so that he could go to South Africa to start talks. Prior to the June 27 run-off election, Biti was jailed on treason charges.


The same report suggests that Russia has backed away from their reported support at the G8 summit of tougher sanctions on Mugabe and his generals. Donna Bryson reports:

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that a strong statement by the Group of Eight nations on Zimbabwe will not necessarily lead to sanctions over Robert Mugabe's widely criticized re-election.

Medvedev's statement indicated Russia could veto or abstain in a U.N. Security Council vote expected this week on a U.S. draft resolution calling for sanctions over state-supported election violence in Zimbabwe. Violence and intimidation there prompted the opposition candidate to pull out of the race with Mugabe."

Meanwhile, ZANU-PF is lobbying Burkina Faso, the African nation currently with a vote on the Security Council.

Bryson reports:

"Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi met Tuesday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, with the West African nation's President Blaise Compaore. Burkina Faso is currently a member of the U.N. Security Council.

In Burkina Faso, Mumbengegwi reiterated statements from Mugabe that he was ready to form a unity government with members of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's party. Zimbabwe may see at least talking about talks as a way to ward off sanctions, but Mumbengegwi made clear Mugabe envisioned a leading role for himself, something the opposition and Mugabe's critics in the West have rejected."

Bryson's analysis points to Mugabe's long history of "talking about talks" in order to ward off criticism. To date, South Africa has facilitated such a strategy. Will this be negotiations as usual? Or is there now sufficient urgency for both Mugabe's inner-circle and South Africa?