South Africa: Zimbabwe talks resume Sunday

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JOHANNESBURG — Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's rival political parties resumed Sunday, a South African official said.

Mukoni Rat@!$%#anga, spokesman for mediator President Thabo Mbeki, said talks were under way at an undisclosed location in the South African capital, Pretoria.

It was not immediately possible to confirm this with either side.

Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to discuss sharing power to end Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis, but talks between representatives of Zimbabwe's government and the opposition broke off July 28 over President Robert Mugabe's insistence that he lead any new government.

Mbeki said last week that the two sides still intend to complete the talks by Aug. 4 — two weeks after signing a memorandum of understanding — as earlier promised.

He played down reports of disagreements and said the negotiations had adjourned to allow the leaders of the ruling party and opposition Movement for Democratic Change consult with their parties.

The future roles of Mugabe and Tsvangirai are expected to be major sticking points in the talks, coverage of which has been under a media blackout.

However, officials close to the talks said opposition negotiators were unhappy with the government's insistence that Mugabe remain president and Tsvangirai serve as one of several vice presidents.

Both men say they won elections and should be at the helm. However, there have been recent indications that the two leaders are softening their positions as they prepare to make some difficult compromises.

Taking a more conciliatory tone, the Movement for Democratic Change has begun a new campaign — "Let's Talk for a Change." An advertisement, signed by Tsvangirai and published Sunday in The Standard, an independent weekly newspaper, thanked Mugabe for agreeing to negotiations, saying this was the "first step" in solving the country's problems.

"We have some common goals and interests that makes it easier for us to talk together," the advertisement read. "We are sensitive to the needs of our political colleagues. On many topics we can all agree. On some we will need to dialogue, debate and find a common solution."

Mbeki and his team of negotiators are under pressure to make a breakthrough before a summit of heads of state from the Southern African Development Community, which starts in South Africa Aug. 16.

The regional body mandated Mbeki to mediate in the crisis, and South Africa will take over the chair of the organization.

Zimbabwe has become an increasingly divisive issue in the region. Botswana already has said it would not recognize Mugabe if he attended the summit.

Dozens of people have been killed and thousands forced from their homes in the violence that followed the disputed Zimbabwe's presidential election four months ago.

Mugabe, 84, and his ruling ZANU-PF party have led the country since independence in 1984. But in the March elections, Tsvangirai won most votes and the opposition seized a majority in parliament for the first time since Mugabe took power.

However, elections officials said Tsvangirai did not win enough votes for outright victory. He pulled out of a June runoff against Mugabe, blaming the escalating state-sponsored violence against his supporters.

Mugabe ran alone and declared himself winner of an election widely discredited as a sham.

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