Thabo Mbeki to Zimbabwe to mediate new crisis

Mbecki having resigned the Presidency of South Africa recently is still in demand apparently. Now he has to mediate in another African nation of interest, Zimbabwe. What is he doing there?

President Robert Mugabe swore in two vice presidents Monday, having already said his party would control all key ministries, prompting condemnation from the European Union and pushing power-sharing talks to the brink of collapse.

With opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai having threatened to walk out of the talks, former South African President Thabo Mbeki was flying to Zimbabwe Monday to try to save the deal he originally brokered.
The European Union condemned Mugabe's unilateral move. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Europeans would "play no part in supporting a power grab by the Mugabe regime."

"It is important that there is an international united response that says that the results of the elections need to be respected and a power grab will not be respected," Miliband told reporters at EU talks in Luxembourg.
While Zimbabwe's politicians grapple with each other, half of the population — 5.1 million people — faces starvation, two-thirds of children are out of school and water shortages have led to deadly cholera outbreaks in three parts of the country, according to aid agencies.

Mbeki was flying to Zimbabwe on Monday afternoon after all parties called for his intervention, his spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said. Mbeki has been chief negotiator in the dispute that erupted after elections that gave Tsvangirai's party the most votes.

On Sept. 15, Mbeki persuaded the rivals to share power, with the opposition holding 16 Cabinet seats and Mugabe's party 15. But the two sides have yet to work out details of the new government, including which side would control which ministries.

What do you expect with a man who made it clear he wasn't going to lose his re-election? Now he doesn't seem like he's even willing to share power with his rivals. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone should it?