Zimbabwe Prevents Opposition Leader from Leaving Country
By VOA News
14 August 2008
Officials with Zimbabwe's main opposition party say authorities briefly confiscated their leader's passport Thursday, as he prepared to fly to a regional conference in South Africa.
The officials says authorities returned the passport to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai a few hours after seizing it at the Harare airport.
Tsvangirai and his party's secretary-general, Tendai Biti, missed their flight to Johannesburg when police briefly detained them. They were heading to South Africa for last-minute political negotiations ahead of Saturday's meeting of the Southern African Development Community.
Tsvangirai held power-sharing talks this week with President Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, the head of a smaller opposition party faction.
Tsvangirai says he is still committed to the talks, although three days of negotiations failed to produce a deal.
Mr. Mugabe's party announced Wednesday that the president and Mutambara have reached an agreement and plan to form a government. Mutambara denied the report.
The political leaders are trying to determine how to share power in a new unity government.
Tsvangirai won Zimbabwe's presidential election in March, but fell short of a majority. Mr. Mugabe later claimed victory in June's uncontested runoff election, which Tsvangirai boycotted to protest attacks on his supporters.
Mr. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980. His critics say the Mugabe government has devastated the economy and violated citizens' human rights.
The government blames the economic troubles on Western economic sanctions, and denies allegations of political violence.
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