Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume should end his silence and shed more light on his agreement with his longtime political rival, Mr Seif Shariff Hamad, a respected commentator said yesterday.
At the same time, the US embassy commended the two leaders for putting their differences aside, and said the gesture should be followed by concrete measures to end the longstanding political stalemate in the isles.
President Karume and Mr Hamad opened a new chapter when they met behind closed doors at State House in Zanzibar last Thursday.
Mr Hamad, who is the secretary-general of the opposition Civic United Front, has since held two rallies in Unguja and Pemba to explain to CUF supporters why he met Mr Karume and his decision to recognise him as the President of Zanzibar.
But apart from a brief statement issued by State House after the meeting, President Karume has not commented on his rare talks with Mr Hamad.
Dr Azaveli Lwaitama of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) said President Karume should come out of his shell and confirm what Mr Hamad had been saying.
"Karume should now come forward and say something because his meeting with Hamad has been generally well received. Hamad is now in trouble with CUF supporters, and this could be because they have not yet heard from Karume,"he said.
Dr Lwaitama said what the two leaders had done was commendable, but added that more was expected from them if they were to be taken seriously.
He also predicted that a government of national would be formed in Zanzibar before next year�s elections.
Elaborating, Dr Lwaitama said CUF had categorically said that they would not accept anything short of what was agreed during reconciliation talks with CCM.
"We all know that what was agreed in the last muafaka talks is the formation of a unity government in Zanzibar. We have seen CUF turn down numerous efforts to bring them back to the negotiating table.
"Their decision to agree to work with Karume can only mean that their wishes have been granted."
The US embassy welcomed reports that the rivals had agreed to work together to foster peace and harmony as well as understanding and cooperation among all Zanzibaris.
"We have long called for Zanzibar�s leaders to champion peaceful, constructive and fair politics so that no Zanzibari feels permanently excluded from having a voice in government and no Zanzibari need fear political reprisal," the embassy said in a statement.
It also urged the leaders to supplement up their move with concrete measures to establish a healthy political climate in the isles that promotes good governance and economic development for all.
"A first step would be for leaders to instruct their supporters to desist from violence. We share the vision of the two leaders that if Zanzibar can overcome its several decades of bitter political divisions, then the creative, dynamic and entrepreneurial spirit of the Zanzibari people will be unleashed for the benefit of all Zanzibaris."
The embassy further said what was happening in Zanzibar had a great impact to other Tanzanians and all residents of East Africa and beyond.
"Zanzibar has made significant contributions to world culture. It is time for Zanzibaris once again to show the world what they can achieve."
On the other hand, Dr Lwaitama brushed aside fears that the warming up of relations between President Karume and Mr Hamad posed a direct threat to the Union.
He said their decision to agree to work together to safeguard the interests of Zanzibaris did not mean that they had decided to "gang up against the Union".
"The major problem in Zanzibar is the rift between Pemba and Unguja. If they manage to overcome that problem, Zanzibaris would be one people, and this would not in any way threaten the Union," Dr Lwaitama said.
Mr Seif told hundreds of CUF supporters in Pemba on Sunday they had put the interests of Zanzibaris before anything else by agreeing to work together.
"We took time to ponder with Karume where we were heading, and we came to the conclusion that we had fought one another for far too long.
We decided that nothing would come out of sabotaging one another, and that we need to work together to save our people from the suffering they have gone through all these years."
The reception accorded to Mr Hamad at Masota Village in Pemba contrasted sharply with the reaction of a boisterous crowd that jeered and heckled CUF officials when Mr Hamad announced at a public rally in Unguja on Saturday that the party had decided to recognise Mr Karume as the President of Zanzibar.
Mr Hamad and other top officials, including CUF national chairman Ibrahim Lipumba, were forced to cut short their speeches and leave the Kibanda Maiti grounds under tight security.
Mr Hamad told an attentive crowd in Pemba on Sunday that Zanzibaris should trust him and President Karume and expect "better things" from the Union.
He vowed never to turn back despite Saturday�s debacle in Unguja.
Some analysis hold the view that leaders from across the political divide in Zanzibar have joined forces to counter what they see as Tanzania Mainland�s undue influence in the isles.
Sources told The Citizen that the general mood among Zanzibaris had changed since Mr Karume and Mr Hamad met, and that the new partnership should be reflected by debates in the House of Representatives, where CCM and CUF have in recent months taken a common stand on a number of issues
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