Deadlock Continues in Government-Renamo Dialogue

Deadlock in the dialogue between the Mozambican government and the former rebel movement Renamo continued on June 9 as the two delegations met for yet another session at Maputo's Joaquim Chissano Conference Centre.
No agreement has proved possible on the terms of reference for international observers who should supervise acessation of hostilities, because Renamo demands "parity" between itself and the ruling Frelimo Party in the armed forces (FADM) and the police. The government rejects this demand on the ground that the FADM and the police are state bodies without any party political affiliation.
This round of talks followed a week of renewed Renamo attacks against convoys of vehicles on the main north-south highway between the small town of Muxungue, in the central province of Sofala, and the Save river. A military source cited by the independent television station STV spoke of ten dead in these ambushes.
The head of the government delegation to the June 9 talks, Transport Minister Gabriel Muthisse, said the attacks showed that Renamo was not serious about the dialogue - for the government had made a string of concessions to Renamo, particularly over the electoral legislation, yet Renamo still seemed no nearer to laying down its guns.
Furthermore, when Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama expressed a desire to register as a voter, the government established the conditions allowing him to do so in Gorongosa district, near the Renamo base where he is currently living. All this, Muthisse said, "demonstrates the government's commitment to peace." He demanded that Renamo explain the reasons for its return to violence. As for the inclusion of Renamo gunmen in the defence and security forces, Muthisse made it clear that this could only happen after Renamo has demilitarized.
The Renamo delegation, headed by parliamentarian Saimone Macuiana, did not attend the press conference at the end of the talks. Instead, later in the afternoon, Renamo rang up selected journalists (not including AIM), to explain its position.
The Mozambican observers at the talks tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the delegations to sign a commitment to an end to hostilities, and suggested once again that a face-to-face meeting between Dhlakama and President Armando Guebuza might calm things down and reduce the level of distrust. But Dhlakama has made it clear in his recent public statements, given by phone, that he is no longer particularly interested in meeting Guebuza. (AIM)