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October 22, 2008

Zimbabwe Veterans Threaten 'Action' Against Tsvangirai
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1EDFCDB:A6F02AD83191E160F19DDAEB42D9B24E7F0EB4B66EA3A89D&
 
Group vows to 'take action to defend itself' if opposition leader
continues to 'act the way he is acting' 
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, arrives for
power-sharing talks with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe in Harare,
Zimbabwe, 17 Oct 2008The head of Zimbabwe's war veterans group is
threatening to "take action" against opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai. In comments published by state media Wednesday, Jabulani
Sibanda said if Tsvangirai continues to act the way he is acting, the
nation will "take action to defend itself."The Zimbabwe National War
Veterans Association is a strong supporter of President Robert Mugabe.
In the past, its members have assaulted people at opposition rallies and
helped the government seize the land of white farmers. On Monday,
Tsvangirai boycotted a regional summit aimed at ending the stalemate in
Zimbabwe's power-sharing talks. The ruling ZANU-PF party and opposition
Movement for Democratic Change signed a power-sharing deal last month,
but cannot agree on which party will control key government ministries.
Tsvangirai refused to attend Monday's meeting in Swaziland because the
government has refused to renew his passport. MDC officials call the
refusal an "insult," while ZANU-PF supporters accuse Tsvangirai of
stalling on the power-sharing deal. The summit has been rescheduled for
next Monday in Harare. Under the basic power-sharing deal reached last
month, the MDC would control 16 Cabinet posts, with ZANU-PF getting 15.
But the MDC threatened to pull out of the deal after Mr. Mugabe
unilaterally gave ZANU-PF control of key posts that oversee the
military, police and foreign affairs. The agreement was designed to end
the crisis sparked by Zimbabwe's disputed and widely-dismissed
presidential elections earlier this year. In his comments Wednesday, the
war veterans chief said his group would feel "betrayed" if Mr. Mugabe
does not take the helm as president and appoint the Cabinet.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.


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