By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PFparty and the opposition MDC will on Thursday begin preliminarytalks in South Africa on ending Zimbabwe's political crisis, anopposition source said.
Both sides have been under heavy African and world pressureto enter negotiations since Mugabe's widely condemnedre-election in a June 27 poll scarred by campaign violence.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which boycottedthe election because of violence that it said killed 103 of itssupporters, had until now refused to enter talks.
It said negotiations could not resume until the violenceended and Mugabe accepted the result of the first round of theelection in March, which was won by MDC leader MorganTsvangirai.
The MDC source said preliminary talks starting on Thursdaywould discuss ending the violence.
"Our team is in South Africa, where they will havepreliminary talks with ZANU-PF, starting today. It meanssomething is happening. So these are not the actual talks, butpreliminary discussions on what the talks will focus on," thesource said.
"This is where we are going to talk about issues ofviolence and it is from these discussions that the MDC willdecide whether to engage in full negotiations if our conditionsfor an end to political violence are met. We will also have toagree on the agenda for the talks."
Diplomatic sources in Pretoria also said the two sides hadagreed to talks, which have previously been mediated by SouthAfrica as the designated regional negotiator. A breakawayfaction of the MDC, led by Arthur Mutambara, would also attend.
"All three of them have agreed to negotiate. They haveagreed this week," said one source close to the talks.
CRISIS
The June 27 election and its condemned outcome haveworsened the crisis in Zimbabwe, whose economy has collapsed,sending millions of refugees into neighbouring states andincreasing pressure for a solution.
The once prosperous nation is crippled by the world's worstinflation rate, estimated to be at least 2 million percent.
The African Union, at a summit last month, called for talksleading to a national unity government.
Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in a March 29 first roundpresidential poll but fell short of the absolute majorityrequired to avoid a run-off. The MDC leader pulled out six daysahead of the second round because of the violent campaignagainst his supporters.
Mugabe blames the opposition for the bloodshed.
Western nations led by former colonial ruler Britain andthe United States are pushing the U.N. Security Council thisweek to impose sanctions on Mugabe's inner circle, as well asan arms embargo on Zimbabwe.
A G8 summit in Japan this week supported sanctions.
South Africa, backed in the past by veto wielding councilmembers Russia and China, opposes sanctions. Word of the newtalks could weaken support for the Western-sponsoredresolution.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has mediatedunsuccessfully in the Zimbabwean crisis for more than a year,drawing increasing criticism. The MDC say he favours Mugabe andhas called for expanded mediation from the AU and the UnitedNations.
Mbeki said on Wednesday that Britain supported talks to endthe crisis.
Zimbabwean state media on Thursday said leaders of SouthAfrica's ruling African National Congress had, during a visitto Harare, urged Mugabe to negotiate with the opposition.
The visit indicated the ANC may plan a bigger role in theZimbabwe crisis, where the party and its union allies have beencritical of Mugabe. ANC leader Jacob Zuma has become one ofAfrica's most outspoken leaders on the Zimbabwe crisis, insharp contrast to Mbeki.
Kgalema Motlanthe, the ANC's deputy president, called fortalks after he and ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe metMugabe in Harare on Wednesday, Zimbabwe's state-controlledHerald newspaper reported.
ANC involvement in the mediation process could encouragethe MDC to return to the negotiating table, analysts say.
But there are huge disagreements between Tsvangirai andMugabe over the basis for talks.
The 84-year-old former guerrilla leader insists he is thecountry's rightful president while Tsvangirai says his victoryin the March election must be the basis for negotiations.
(Additional reporting by Paul Simao in Pretoria and GordonBell in Johannesburg; Writing by Barry Moody, editing by SamiAboudi)