Full Zimbabwe crisis talks to start Thursday
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's opposition MDC andPresident Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF will beginnegotiations on a power-sharing deal in earnest on Thursday,officials said on Wednesday.
The rivals kicked off preliminary talks on Tuesday aimed atending Zimbabwe's crisis, South African President Thabo Mbeki'sspokesman said. He declined to say what was discussed onTuesday.
"I won't talk about what it is. I will say talks resumed,and talks are continuing," Mukoni Ratshitanga said. "They havestarted more or less. (They will be) in earnest tomorrow."
Mbeki, mediating in the crisis, secured a framework dealbetween Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai onMonday for talks aimed at ending the deadlock since Mugabe'sre-election on June 27 in a poll boycotted by the oppositionbecause of violence.
Pressure for power-sharing has come from regional statesconcerned by the political and economic crisis that has forcedmillions of refugees to flee to Zimbabwe's neighbours, most ofthem to South Africa.
Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper said Justice MinisterPatrick Chinamasa and Public Services Minister Nicholas Gochewould represent ZANU-PF at negotiations, while the MDC would berepresented by secretary-general Tendai Biti and deputytreasurer Elton Mangoma. A splinter faction of the MDC wouldalso have two negotiators at the talks.
The MDC says 120 of its supporters have been killed since afirst round of elections on March 29, in which Tsvangirai beatMugabe but without the absolute majority to avoid a run-off.Mugabe blames the opposition for the bloodshed.
DIFFERENCES
The main aim of the Pretoria talks will be the creation ofa government of national unity, but the two sides differ on whoshould lead it and how long it should stay in power.
Mbeki has said the Zimbabwean parties face a tight two-weekdeadline to conclude the talks, which are expected to be tenseand possibly acrimonious. The MDC has accused Mugabe andZANU-PF of violating human rights and rigging elections.
The European Union on Tuesday increased pressure on Mugabe,saying it had agreed additional sanctions on Zimbabwe to target37 more individuals and four companies linked to thegovernment.
The breakthrough between Zimbabwe's rivals appeared tofollow Mbeki's agreement late last week to expand the mediationprocess to include the African Union, the United Nations andother officials of the Southern African Development Community.
Mbeki had been increasingly criticised, especially by theMDC, which accused him of taking too soft a line with Mugabe.
Mugabe, 84, has dismissed the MDC as a puppet of the Westand vowed never to let it take power. The president, in powersince independence from Britain in 1980, has also insisted thatthe opposition accept his unopposed victory last month.
Zimbabwe's economy has been in freefall since 2000, withthe world's highest modern-day inflation at over two millionpercent, a virtually worthless currency, crippling food andfuel shortages and 80 percent unemployment.
On Wednesday, Zimbabwe's trade union federation ZCTU wrotea letter to Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono, asking him torelax limits on cash withdrawals from bank accounts.
The letter, a copy of which was sent to Reuters, said themaximum cash withdrawal limit of 100 billion Zimbabwe dollarswas not enough for urban workers whose daily public transportcosts alone amount to about 150 billion Zimbabwe dollars.
(Additional reporting by Nelson Banya in Harare; Writing byMarius Bosch; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)