President arrives in Angola

He was met by Angolan Foreign Minister George Chikoti and his Zimbabwean counterpart Simbarashe Mu-mbengegwi.
The President is being accompanied by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Transport Minister Nicholas Goche.

Principals to the Global Political Agreement have been invited by Sadc after the grouping made last-minute changes to have a Troika meeting ahead of tomorrow’s extraordinary summit. Initially, the meeting was supposed to be an extraordinary summit for heads of state and government only. The Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, which is commonly known as the Troika, will today review the political and security situation in Zimbabwe and Madagascar. The Troika, which is chaired by South African president Jacob Zuma, comprises the leaders of Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa, and reports to full the summit.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold harmonised elections this year as the logical conclusion to the Sadc-brokered Global Political Agreement.
President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara will attend the Troika meeting in their capacities as GPA principals.
PM Tsvangirai and DPM Mutambara will, however, not attend the Sadc extraordinary summit for heads of state and government.

There are indications that Professor Welshman Ncube, the leader of the other MDC faction, could also attend the Troika meeting.
Zimbabwe is not on the agenda of the Sadc extra-ordinary summit, but as has been the norm since the Sadc-brokered GPA, the Troika will review the political situation here.

Similar Troika meetings were held on the sidelines of the Sadc-EAC-Comesa Tripartite Summit held in Sandton, South Africa, last June, and ahead of the 31st Ordinary Summit of Sadc heads of state and government in Angola in August last year.

The extraordinary summit will discuss the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan. At the summit, leaders are expected to brainstorm on ways of enhancing economic co-operation among member states.

The plan outlines policies, strategies and priorities for achieving deeper regional integration and poverty eradication.