Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Pretoria (Agenzia Fides) – The two major protagonists of the crisis in Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, President of the Transitional Authority, and the outgoing President, Marc Ravalomanana, met yesterday, April 29, in Pretoria (South Africa) for a preliminary meeting for the Summit taking place today, extended to include former Presidents Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy.
The meeting between Ravalomanana and Rajoelina occurred in the presence of South African President Jacob Zuma and the President of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping. The mediator of the crisis in Madagascar, former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, had previously met separately with the two Malagasy politicians.
Mr. Zuma also had separate meetings with three three former heads of state of Madagascar, according to the local press, the meeting with Ravalomanana of Madagascar lasted six hours.
The basis of the discussions was the proposal made by France to end the crisis, calling for the formation of a government of national unity to organize general elections by September. Later, it is expected that a government will be formed with the participation of different parties who receive a percentage of government posts according to the number of deputies, with the task of preparing the presidential election.
But there are still several hurdles to overcome, including those of a personal nature. Rajoelina, for example, before meeting with the former President told reporters that he was going to meet with "Mr. Ravalomanana," while the latter claims to still be the legitimate president, claiming he was forced to resign under coercion. At the end of the meeting, Ravalomanana said that he was "very optimistic" on the success of the talks, while Rajoelina commented that "no significant progress has been made."
One point of dispute to be addressed is the amnesty claimed by Ravalomanana, who was sentenced in 2009 to four years in prison for irregularities in the purchase of presidential aircraft.
While talks continue in South Africa, Madagascar supporters of the three opposition movements led by Ravalomanana, Didier Ratsiraka, and Albert Zafy, continue to hold demonstrations. The real unknown, however, concerns the attitude of the armed forces who had issued an ultimatum to Rajoelina, asking that he adopt a deliberate strategy to make the country emerge from the crisis, threatening to make a direct intervention otherwise. Rajoelina, upon his return from South Africa, is scheduled to meet with military leaders to report the outcome of the talks. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 04/30/2010)
