United Nations, Feb 12, SPA -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed the swearing in of Morgan Tsvangirai as Zimbabwe’s prime minister. “This is an important step in the implementation of the 15 September Global Peace Agreement between the Zimbabwean parties,” a statement from Ban’s spokeswoman said. Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was sworn in by his political rival President Robert Mugabe. Under a power-sharing agreement, Mugabe will remain president and Tsvangirai will oversee everyday government affairs as prime minister. Seats in the Zimbabwean parliament are almost equally divided between the MDC and Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. Ban urged the new government to tackle the massive humanitarian crisis and implement human rights safeguards for Zimbabwean citizens. ”The new government of national unity will need to immediately address the economic and humanitarian crises in the country, including the current cholera epidemic.  The period ahead will also be critical for consolidating human rights and democratic freedoms,” the statement from Ban’s spokeswoman said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/634872