HARARE, Zimbabwe-
A top official of the Zimbabwean prime minister's party who had expected to join the unity government was arrested Friday, the party said, in an early indication the country's new political partnership will be rocky.
The arrest of Roy Bennett, which party officials said was unexplained, was announced shortly before senior ministers in the coalition government were sworn in.The inauguration ceremony was delayed in a last-minute dispute that, like Bennett's arrest, underlined the challenges of bringing the Movement for Democratic Change into government with a party that has beaten and detained opponents.Robert Mugabe, who remains president under the unity deal, administered his rival Morgan Tsvangirai's oath as prime minister Wednesday. The two were to jointly oversee a Cabinet of 31-15 from Mugabe's party, 13 from Tsvangirai's and three from a breakaway opposition faction led by Arthur Mutambara.Joseph Mungwari, Tsvangirai's spokesman, said Mugabe arrived for Friday's ceremony with plans to swear-in seven ZANU-PF members as junior ministers, surprising his partners. Only senior ministers were scheduled to be sworn in Friday.Two hours after the inauguration was to have begun, Mungwari said the top leaders were discussing the seven proposed junior ministers. The ceremony later went ahead, though it was not immediately clear how the dispute over the seven junior ministers was resolved.Mugabe presided over Friday's inaugurations, at one point using both his hands to warmly shake the hand of Tendai Biti, a Tsvangirai aide taking over the finance ministry who has been among Mugabe's sharpest critics...
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press Writer
To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah...