Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Talks Underway in South Africa
By VOA News
24 July 2008
Power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's opposition and ruling parties are underway Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa.
A spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki, the talks' mediator, says top negotiators will meet for two weeks in a bid to resolve the country's political crisis.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a formal agreement on the reconciliation talks earlier this week.
The agreement requires the ruling ZANU-PF party and its rival, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to craft goals and priorities for a new government, a new constitution, and a plan to implement the changes.
The two sides last year agreed to adopt a new constitution, but President Mugabe failed to implement it before a March presidential election that led to a widely-condemned run-off vote.
Mr. Mugabe was re-elected in the June run-off, after Mr. Tsvangirai dropped out of the race saying his supporters were being killed in a state-sponsored intimidation campaign.
The talks are going ahead, despite claims that political intimidation continues in Zimbabwe. MDC members say militia connected to President Mugabe's government continue to patrol vast parts of the country. Several opposition lawmakers say they are unable to return home for fear they will be arrested.
Mr. Tsvangirai had insisted that violence against his supporters end before formal reconciliation talks begin.
South African President Thabo Mbeki is mediating the reconciliation talks and will consult with representatives of the African Union, United Nations and the Southern African Development Community.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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