Mugabe threatened to walk out of the constitution indaba over exclusion of Mutambara

President Mugabe yesterday sparked a row at the Copac Second All-Stakeholders Conference in Harare when he declared that only GPA principals - and not MPs driving the constitution-making - have power over the process.

Sources said Mugabe threatened to walk out of the conference after Copac chairpersons insisted MDC leader Welshman Ncube was the legitimate principal and not DPM Arthur Mutambara.

Mugabe - who reportedly almost collapsed the constitutional indaba by threatening a walkout - told delegates at the official opening of the conference that the qualitative method used by Copac frustrated the majority views.

Ncube had demanded that Mutambara be removed from the conference because he did not represent any political party and, therefore, was not a GPA principal.

Mugabe, however, insisted Mutambara should stay and his stance eventually carried the day after he threatened to leave. Ncube and his supporters ended up boycotting the official opening. He, however, later said he had snubbed the official opening to register his displeasure, but would participate in the conference while he engaged Sadc over the matter.

According to a Sadc resolution made in Maputo, Mozambique, Mugabe is supposed to recognise Ncube as a principal ahead of Mutambara.