Tsvangirai: Give me more power or forget

Tsvangirai has called for fresh polls in Zimbabwe under the watch of international observers if President Mugabe remains reluctant to cede power in an effort to end the country’s crisis. He said it would be better for the MDC to pull out of power-sharing talks than accept an unsatisfactory agreement.The opposition leader said on Sunday that he would not be forced to sign a “suicidal deal” that would change nothing but aggravate the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. He was speaking at the Movement for Democratic Change’s ninth anniversary rally.Tsvangirai said his signature does not only represent his interests but that of the people of Zimbabwe who voted Mugabe out in the March 29 elections. “If there are continued problems over the presidency, then we go for national elections supervised by the international community,” he said amid applause from the mammoth crowd that thronged the Mkoba stadium in Gweru in the Midlands province.He said he wants Mugabe to be the head of state under the new agreement while he becomes the head of government. Tsvangirai told his supporters that the MDC would not bow to pressure from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which is mediating in the ongoing Zimbabwe power-crisis.“President Mbeki is coming but don’t worry about him. He is not the one who is going to sign the agreement. He is going to have to persuade me to shift my position. But don’t worry. One thing I will not do is to sell you out,” he told the rally according to Reuters.Meanwhile, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa arrived in the country on Monday to meet with the country’s political parties in Harare in a last minute effort to end the country’s political turmoil.The power-sharing talks collapsed after the SADC summit in South Africa because of Mugabe’s reluctance to cede power to his rival. As a result, Tsvangirai has refused to sign any deal saying it does not represent the will of the people.

Ghana Black Stars bow to Libya

Libya beat Ghana 1:0 on Friday evening in their crucial penultimate World Cup 2010 and Nations Cup qualifier. The unimpressive Black Stars conceded the lone goal six minutes from regulation time to mark an unhappy debut for new coach Milovan Rajevac.Substitute Ahmed Osman of the Greens of Libya scored the only goal of the game in the 84 minute, when enterprising Harrison Afful failed to clear the ball at the 18 yard box.The Libyans took over possession after Chelsea’s Michael Essien sustained a knee injury in the 22 minutes. The substantial and inspirational captain, Stephen “Tornado” Appiah, replaced him. He had not kicked a ball in nine months due to injury but had an average day by distributing passes to his mates. However, Ghana’s forwards – Manuel Agogo and Sulley Muntari – could not utilize the chances that came their way.Coach Rajevac’s strategy of packing his defense and midfield with one top could not yield better results. That was his first competitive match since taking over as coach of Ghana’s senior national team.The Libyans operated from flanks and also took over the midfield making the Ghanaians jittery. It took the intervention of young Jonathan Quartey at defense clearing most of the dangers and goalkeeper Richard Kinston coming into the rescue.Ghana is now second on their group table with three points ahead of Gabon, which plays against Lesotho on Sunday. Ghana needs to win their last game against Lesotho to qualify for the next round.

Kenya inches away from SA 2010

Kenya is close to qualifying for the last phase of the African World Cup qualifiers after humiliating Namibia 1-0 at home on Saturday. The East African country recently returned from a FIFA suspension. The victory pushed Kenya to the top of Group Two.Kenya is now three points ahead of second-placed Guinea, who played at Zimbabwe on Sunday. That game ended goalless.Jamal Mohamed converted a 44th-minute penalty after left back John Njoroge had been tripped in the penalty area, Reuters reported. Kenya have twice been suspended by FIFA in recent years for political interference in the running of the football federation.The top 20 teams from the second round of the Africa World Cup qualifiers go through to the last phase, which starts in March.