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(NEWZIMBABWE) Zimbabwe negotiators aim for deal before SADC summit

Zimbabwe negotiators aim for deal before SADC summit
• Text: Memorandum of Understanding between Zanu PF and MDC
Last updated: 15/08/2008 14:04:47

NEGOTIATORS from Zimbabwe's rival parties are meeting to try and reach a settlement to the country's crisis before this weekend's regional summit, a spokesman for an opposition faction said Friday. "They are trying to come to a settlement before the SADC meeting on Saturday," said Edwin Mushoriwa, spokesman for Arthur Mutambara, who heads a smaller faction of Zimbabwe's opposition.

"They are already in South Africa at the moment and they are discussing, they are actually negotiating," said Mushoriwa. A summit of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community will be held in South Africa this weekend.

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai arrived in Johannesburg earlier Friday after his travel documents were briefly seized by authorities at Harare airport the previous day.

President Robert Mugabe was expected to arrive later on Friday.

Power-sharing talks between the rivals were stalled when three days of negotiations adjourned on Tuesday after Tsvangirai said he needed more time to consider a deal agreed by Mugabe and Mutambara.

Tsvangirai said after his passport was briefly seized on Thursday that he remained "hopeful" talks to resolve the country's crisis would resume.

"The whole thing was going to be determined at this SADC summit," he said.

Zimbabwe's crisis intensified after Mugabe's re-election in a June presidential run-off widely condemned as a sham.

Tsvangirai boycotted the run-off despite finishing ahead of Mugabe in the March first round, citing rising violence against his supporters. - AFP

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, NEGOTIATIONS, SADC

posted by MrK @ 7:28 PM