UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — British Ambassador to the UN John Sawers said Friday that London was ready to support Zimbabwe's recovery but only if "genuine" power-sharing is fully implemented.
"We are ready to support Zimbabwe's recovery ... but we clearly have to see a commitment that the tragic policies pursued in Zimbabwe in recent years have come to an end and that there is a genuine effort to share power with those who were elected in the March election," he told reporters.
He spoke after attending a UN Security Council briefing by UN troubleshooter Haile Menkerios, who monitored the South African-mediated talks in Harare that produced the power-sharing accord.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, opposition leader and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai, and deputy prime minister-elect Arthur Mutambara signed the deal last Monday that set out a framework for a multi-party government in order to break an electoral deadlock.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF was allotted 15 portfolios in the new cabinet, Tsvangirai's MDC 13 and Mutambara's faction three.
But the three Zimbabwean leaders have failed to agree on key ministries, with the main opposition saying it will not be "mere accessories" in another ZANU-PF government.
Sawers expressed concern about the snag over the distribution of cabinet posts and said Britain would not provide financial to its former African colony unless the issue was resolved.
"We have to see the agreement implemented. We want to see genuine power sharing," he noted.
"We are not going to put good money after bad. We want any new money to stabilize Zimbabwe and get through the ordinary people of that country so they can start rebuilding their lives."
Meanwhile Menkerios expressed confidence that a compromise will be reached by the Zimbabwean parties.
He said an economic recovery "will take time' and urged donors to provide funding for priority sectors such as agriculture, health, water and sanitation.
Menkerios is the UN high-level representative on a so-called "reference group" -- which also includes the African Union and a security panel of the Southern African Development Community -- set up to assist the South African mediators.
Mugabe won a one-man presidential run-off last June, widely denounced as a sham after Tsvangirai pulled out of the race due to a wave of deadly attacks on his supporters. Tsvangirai won the first round of the election in March.
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