By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki metwith Zimbabwe's rival parties on Monday, amid growing doubtsover his chances of securing a power-sharing deal to end thepolitical crisis.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Sunday he wouldrather quit talks than sign a bad deal and challenged PresidentRobert Mugabe to hold a new election. Mugabe had threatened toform a government alone if Tsvangirai did not sign last week.
The post-election talks are deadlocked over how to shareexecutive power between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, putting off anychance of rescuing Zimbabwe from its economic collapse.
Mbeki began talks with the parties in a Harare hotel onMonday evening but officials said they did not know how longthe meetings would last.
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in a March 29 election but fellshort of enough votes to avoid a June run-off, which was won byMugabe unopposed after Tsvangirai pulled out, citing violenceand intimidation against his supporters.
Mbeki has come under repeated fire for not being toughenough with Mugabe.
Other southern African leaders have taken a harder lineagainst Mugabe, but he has refused to budge, and Tsvangirai'sMovement for Democratic Change (MDC) has made it clear it haslittle faith in Mbeki as a mediator.
NO CHANGE
Tsvangirai told a rally on Sunday marking the party's ninthanniversary that he would not change his position in thepower-sharing talks if pressured by Mbeki.
In a commentary in Monday's edition of the government-runHerald newspaper, its political and features editor Mabasa Sasaagain accused Tsvangirai of refusing to sign a final deal onorders from Western powers opposed to Mugabe.
"The short history of the opposition is littered withevidence of a cancerous connection with Britain and otherWestern countries," he said, urging Mugabe to appoint a newcabinet to tackle Zimbabwe's worsening economy.
A breakaway faction of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC said onMonday it will remain independent and not work with Mugabe'sZANU-PF if no power-sharing deal was reached with Tsvangirai.
The breakaway faction headed by Arthur Mutambara said in astatement that its leadership had decided that any agreementwould have to be a three-way deal including Tsvangirai's mainopposition MDC.
Mugabe's victory in the election run-off was condemnedaround the world and drew toughened sanctions from Westerncountries whose support is vital for reviving Zimbabwe's ruinedeconomy.
Tsvangirai told the rally an agreement was out of thequestion unless Mugabe, in power since independence fromBritain in 1980, was prepared to compromise.
(Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
