Next, the economic battle

Even if the politics fare well, foreign economic support is both essential and uncertain

The much-talked of US$1 billion rescue package for Zimbabwe's new power-sharing government is an illusion, according to British, United States and World Bank officials. There is no agreement on how much is needed or what the new power-sharing government would have to do to trigger fresh disbursements of any kind, the officials told Africa Confidential. Britain and the USA take the toughest line. 'We need to see that Morgan Tsvangirai has real authority,' a US State Department official said. He spoke of a series of tests - Tsvangirai's control over the Home Affairs Ministry, the police and reform at the Reserve Bank - which could trigger US financial help.

Article Tags:
British, United States, Morgan Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe, Steve Hanke, South African, France, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Friends of Zimbabwe, China, Libya, Nigeria, Dale Doré, Tony Hawkins, Godfrey Kanyenze, Daniel Ndlela, Eric Bloch, Zambia, Tsvangirai and the unions, Lovemore Madhuku, Callisto Jokonya, Geoffrey White, Thamer Al-Shanfari, Africa Confidential, Africa Confidential

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