No accord in Zimbabwe power-sharing talks

Zimbabwe's main opposition party said yesterday the latest talks on power-sharing with the ruling Zanu-PF that resumed on Friday in South Africa did not reach agreement.

"All the negotiating teams are back. Nothing was achieved in the latest round of engagement in South Africa to break the deadlock. We remain where we were," the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

Negotiators from Zanu-PF, the main MDC and a smaller breakaway MDC faction on Friday separately met South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating the talks.

Mr Mbeki's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said yesterday that the dialogue would continue, but declined to give details.

"It is a continuous process, not a single event," Mr Ratshitanga said.

The power-sharing talks have stalled over how executive power should be shared by President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who refused to sign an agreement that would have made him Prime Minister two weeks ago.

Mr Tsvangirai has protested against the proposed deal, saying it did not give him enough executive powers in government.

The opposition leader beat Mr Mugabe in a March 29 election but fell short of enough votes to avoid a run-off vote, which was controversially won by Mr Mugabe after Mr Tsvangirai pulled out citing violence and intimidation against his supporters.

Zanu-PF officials were not immediately available to comment on the matter, but state media reported on Sunday that Mr Mbeki would soon "chart a way forward" in the talks.

"I can confirm that we went to South Africa for separate bilateral discussions with the facilitator," state media quoted Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Zanu-PF's chief negotiator, as saying.

"The meeting was convened because the facilitator wanted to search for a way forward," Mr Chinamasa added.

The MDC has accused Mr Mugabe of flouting a framework agreed by the negotiating parties not to convene Parliament or appoint a Cabinet.

The veteran ruler, who was last week jeered and heckled by opposition lawmakers as he officially opened Parliament, has said he would soon appoint a new government.

"Mugabe is showing no respect for Southern African Development Community (SADC), no respect for the dialogue," said Mr Chamisa, adding that the MDC would lobby the African Union (AU) and the United Nations not to recognise Mr Mugabe as Zimbabwe's President.