Zimbabwe

Crisis talks adjourn until Sunday

Article published on the 2008-07-29 Latest update 2008-07-29 14:53 TU

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe
(File photo: Reuters)

Negotiations Zimbabwe’s political parties to end the country’s political crisis have adjourned until Sunday, according to an official from the office of South African President Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki has been mediating talks between President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai flew to Johannesburg on Monday amid claims by his party that the negotiations between the parties had run into trouble.

An MDC official said Tsvangirai was to meet negotiators on Tuesday before proceeding to a separate meeting in Angola on Wednesday (the Southern Africa Development Community's committee on politics, defence and security).

In a press conference Tuesday morning, Mbeki denied that there was a deadlock between the parties, and added that the talks were "doing very well".

"There is no problem," Mbeki spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga told RFI. The talks "have not broken down."

Ratishanga told RFI that the parties were returning to Harare to meet with the principals and would come back to the negotiating table on Sunday.