Assembly/AU/4(XII) Page 14 United Nations. Four rounds of direct negotiations have been held in Manhasset, New York, under the chairmanship of Ambassador van Walsum, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara, but without any progress. 59. However, the two parties have agreed to meet for a 5th round, at the same venue and at a time to be determined through consultations. The delay in the convening of the 5th round of the negotiations was largely due to the fact that the position of Personal Envoy had suddenly fallen vacant, as a result of Ambassador van Walsum’s exit from his responsibilities as mediator. On 5th January 2009, the Secretary-General appointed Ambassador Christopher Ross of the USA as his new Personal Envoy for Western Sahara. 60. In Sharm El-Sheikh, the Assembly of the Union discussed extensively the situation in Zimbabwe. In the decision adopted on that occasion, the Assembly encouraged President Robert Mugabe and the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, to honor their commitments to initiate dialogue with a view to promoting peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation of the Zimbabwean people; echoed the call for the creation of a Government of National Unity; and expressed support for the SADC facilitation. 61. It is against this background, and after protracted negotiations, facilitated by former President Thabo Mbeki, that the parties, namely, the ZANU-PF, the MDC-T and that of Mr. Arthur Mutambara (MDC-M), signed, in Harare, on 15 September 2008, a Global Peace Agreement (GPA). However, to date, no progress has been made in the implementation of the GPA, due mainly to differences among the parties on the allocation of ministerial portfolios, including the Ministry of Home Affairs. As part of the efforts to overcome this stalemate, the Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government, held in Sandton, South Africa, on 9 November 2008, decided that the inclusive Government be formed forthwith and that the Ministry of Home Affairs be co-managed between the ZANU-PF and the MDC-T, with the understanding that the efficacy of the arrangement would be reviewed after six months. The MDC (T) rejected this proposal. At the time of finalizing this report, SADC was making renewed efforts to overcome the current impasse. In a more encouraging development, the parties, in early December 2008, reached an agreement on Amendment 19 of the Zimbabwean Constitution to accommodate the new changes accruing from the GPA. VI. OBSERVATIONS 62. During the reporting period, the PSC has continued to discharge its responsibilities as provided for in the Protocol establishing it. As indicated above, the PSC has held 28 formal meetings and a number of briefing sessions, and has taken numerous decisions pertaining to various conflict and crisis situations on the continent. In carrying out its responsibilities, the PSC has endeavoured to work as closely as possible with the Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution as well as with Africa’s partners, including the United Nations and its Security Council, the EU and the League of Arab States. Efforts are also being made to forge a strong partnership with civil society organizations, in line with the provisions of Article 20 of the PSC Protocol, and the conclusions of the December 2008 Livingstone PSC Retreat.