LONDON (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Wednesday he hoped talks aimed at resolving the country's political crisis would give President Robert Mugabe an "honourable exit".
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party began power-sharing talks with theopposition in South Africa last week, but doubts have surfacedover progress after they were adjourned on Tuesday.
South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday thetalks would resume on Sunday.
"The role of Robert Mugabe and the role of MorganTsvangirai in the envisaged co-sharing government will have tobe discussed by the negotiating parties. I am not in anyposition of defining what his role would be," Tsvangirai saidin an interview with Britain's Channel 4 News.
"What I would hope is that it will allow him (Mugabe) aprocess of an honourable exit," he said, speaking fromJohannesburg in what Channel 4 said was his first broadcastinterview since the negotiations began.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai are under pressure from within Africaand the rest of the world to negotiate a national unitygovernment to end a crisis that has ruined Zimbabwe's economyand flooded neighbouring states with millions of refugees.
Tsvangirai said Mugabe was "just as human as every one ofus" and had similar concerns, "although of course I think he isignorant, or chooses to be in a denial stage, as far as theviolence is concerned."
Asked if he could work with Mugabe, Tsvangirai said: "ThatI cannot say, because that is part of the negotiation process."
Tsvangirai said there had been obstacles in the talks butsaid that was natural in any negotiating process.
"There have been sticking points. Some issues have beenironed out, some issues are still outstanding. We hope that asthe negotiations proceed they will find a common compromise,"he said.
The settlement under discussion was a transitionalarrangement that would bring the crisis to a soft landing andallow the parties to deal with issues of rule of law, theconstitution, humanitarian intervention and economic recovery,he said.
This interim period should last "no more than two years inour perspective," he said.
A two-week deadline for completing the talks runs out onAugust 4, but it could be extended.
It has been unclear what compromise could be reached at thepower-sharing talks.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says onlyTsvangirai can lead a new government because he won a firstround presidential vote in March and only pulled out of a Junerun-off vote because of violence he says killed 122 of hissupporters.
ZANU-PF has said it will not accept any deal that fails torecognise Mugabe's re-election.
(Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
