Zimbabwe

Mutambara says power-sharing agreement almost there

Article published on the 2008-08-13 Latest update 2008-08-14 10:47 TU

Arthur Mutambara
(Photo: Reuters)

Power-sharing talks in Zimbabwe could succeed soon despite disagreements over leadership, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday after failing to secure a deal at marathon talks. Mbeki said earlier in Harare that Mugabe had agreed on sharing power with a breakaway faction of the Movement for Democratic Change opposition, but the group's leader Arthur Mutambara said on Wednesday that no agreement had been signed.

"This is a tripartite negotiating framework. You cannot get an agreement where only two parties agree," the leader of the smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, said, adding that talks were likely to continue.

Mutambara confirmed that the political rivals had agreed on everything except on one aspect of the power-sharing agreement. He told RFI  that they were now waiting for Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main MDC faction to return to the negotiating table.

The biggest question is the fate of the main opposition leader Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai did not agree to a power-sharing agreement, raising doubts over whether Zimbabwe's parties can stabilise the country after violent elections.

Negotiations followed Mugabe's unopposed re-election in June in a poll from which Tsvangirai withdrew because of attacks on his supporters.