Leaders to work on Zimbabwe unity deal

By ANGUS SHAW

Harare

Oct. 27: Zimbabwe’s Opposition leader and President, struggling for control of key Cabinet posts, joined southern African leaders on Monday for a mini-summit called to settle the country’s power-sharing deal.

The deal signed on September 15 has stalled over how to share government ministries among President Robert Mugabe’s party, Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change and a smaller Opposition group. Mr Tsvangirai accuses Mr Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, of trying to hold on to too many of the most powerful posts. Mr Tsvangirai did not attend a first round of talks in Swaziland last week after authorities in Harare failed to issue him a new passport. He instead received an emergency travel document his party described as an insult and proof that Mr Mugabe was not ready to treat the opposition as equal partners.

Mr Tsvangirai is scheduled to deliver a position paper demanding an equal share of the most powerful ministries. One of the key ministries still in dispute is the home affairs ministry in charge of the police. Mugabe claimed control of the police ministry when he published a Cabinet list October 11. —AP

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‘Muslim kids above 15 can carry knives’

London, Oct. 27: Hardline Islamic preacher Omar Bakri, who was recently exiled from the UK, has reportedly sparked outrage by saying that Muslim kids above 15 could carry knives for "self-protection". In an Internet hate-message, he is learnt to have said that kids over 15 could carry knives for protection. Legally, it’s not allowed but Islamically it’s OK," the Sun quoted Mr Bakri as saying.

Last night Mr Bakri’s comments left crime campaigners sickened. Raymond Stevenson, co-ordinator of anti-knife group Urban Concepts, said: It’s the response of someone from the lunatic fringe. Arming young children is not the answer to a situation no matter how dangerous the streets might be. I can’t believe he’s even considered his religion before making these comments. It’s astonishing."

—ANI