Zimbabwe Power Sharing Talks Begin for Fourth Day
By VOA News
17 October 2008
Zimbabwe's political rivals have begun a fourth day of talks in hopes of salvaging a power-sharing deal to form a unity government.
President Robert Mugabe told reporters that it is "a day for deals" as he arrived at the talks Friday in the capital, Harare. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvagiriai arrived a short time earlier.
After Thursday's talks, both sides said they were deadlocked over how to share various ministries.
Last week, President Mugabe unilaterally gave his ZANU-PF party several key cabinet positions that oversee the military, police and foreign affairs.
State controlled media Friday said ZANU-PF members are accusing main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of deliberately stalling the talks in an effort to bring the U.N. into the negotiations.
Opposition spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said the party is asking the mediator of the talks, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, to help find a creative way of breaking the deadlock.
Thursday, Zimbabwe's state media said President Mugabe may alter the Cabinet lineup he announced last week in an effort to save the power-sharing deal.
Mr. Mbeki helped broker the original deal, meant to end the crisis stemming from Zimbabwe's disputed presidential elections.
The deal, reached in September, calls for ZANU-PF to control 15 ministries, with the two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change getting 16. Mr. Mugabe would remain as president, with Tsvangirai becoming prime minister.
The sides are under pressure to reach a final deal so Zimbabwe can start to recover from its deep economic crisis. The country has 80 percent unemployment and an inflation rate officially estimated at 231 million percent.
Witnesses are reporting severe food shortages nationwide, especially in the south.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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