Ruling party says Mugabe must lead unity government

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe'sruling party will not accept a power-sharing deal that fails torecognise his re-election or seeks to reverse his land reformprogramme, a state-owned newspaper said on Friday.

The conditions, which the Herald newspaper said were agreedat a ZANU-PF politburo meeting earlier this week, could dimprospects for a deal at negotiations between Mugabe's party andtwo factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

The talks began on Thursday under South African mediation.They aim to break the deadlock over Mugabe's victory in a June27 run-off election, boycotted by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangiraibecause of violence and condemned by Western nations.

"The meeting noted that there has to be a figure whoappoints the all-inclusive government envisaged in theMemorandum of Understanding signed by the three parties onMonday," the Herald said.

"And that figure is President Mugabe who won the run-off."

The newspaper also said ZANU-PF would never agree to anational unity government that sought to reverse Mugabe'scontroversial seizure of thousands of white-owned firms to giveto landless blacks.

Critics say the farm seizures helped wreck the onceprosperous economy and bring food shortages and inflation nowrunning at 2 million percent, but the opposition has said itwould not go back on the land seizures.

TIGHT DEADLINE

African governments see a national unity government as theonly way to reverse the economic meltdown and avert anescalation of political violence in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai withdrew from the election run-off after attackson his supporters by pro-Mugabe militia in which he says 120activists were killed. Mugabe, in power since independence fromBritain in 1980, blames the opposition for the bloodshed.

Tsvangirai won a first round vote in March but failed towin the absolute majority required to avoid a second round.

The MDC leader had demanded that the government recognisehis victory in the March poll and halt all violence against theopposition as pre-conditions for talks. He agreed on Monday togo ahead with negotiations without any iron-clad guarantees.

A spokesman for Tsvangirai's MDC on Friday said the partywould not accept any negotiations based on the June 27 result.

"We have a pact not to talk to the media, but if that istheir (ZANU-PF) position, it is unfortunate for the country.Our position is clear that June 27 is controversial and it,therefore, falls away," the MDC's Nelson Chamisa told Reuters.

"It is not admissible as a parameter guiding theengagement," Chamisa added.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediatingthe Zimbabwe crisis since 2007, has said the Zimbabwean partiesface a tight two-week deadline to conclude the talks, which areexpected to be tense.

The parties sharply disagree over how long a national unitygovernment should remain in power. Tsvangirai's MDC wants freshelections held as soon as possible, while Mugabe wants to carryon with his new five-year mandate.

Laurence Caromba, a researcher at the Centre forInternational Political Studies at the University of Pretoria,said the idea of allowing Mugabe and his ZANU-PF to remain inpower may be unacceptable to many Zimbabweans.

"South African mediators hope to square this circle byadvocating for a government of national unity, but this ideaflatly ignores the wishes of the Zimbabwean people," Carombasaid in an analysis of the crisis.

(Writing by Paul Simao; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)