Negotiation is about Hearing the Opinion of the People, Civil society and Political Parties

Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of the Republic of Mozambique, shares his approach when it comes to negotiation.

“I would do the same thing I do elsewhere, which is to first hear the opinion of the people, along with the civil society and political parties. I would not deal with just one or two actors. In this case, I would not deal with just Renamo or the Government, listening to just one or the other. I would collect many views, and it does take time as well as patience to be able to deal with this”, says Joaquim Chissano.

“Listening to all these views allows for more inputs, in order to arrive at a solution. And solutions are not reached within a day. You may have one, and then you come back with another proposal, then another. I often avoided bringing proposals myself, but I caused the parties involved to bring proposals to the table, since I believe that the dialogue must take place primarily between the parties. But, of course, the people’s opinion, and that of civil society, does matter; because, ultimately you want peace for the people”, he adds.