Zimbabawe: Opposition, Gov’t agree to share power

(SomaliNet) According to a number of sources close to the Tshwane negotiations, Zimbabwe crisis talks are close to a settlement although it will require more than the 14 days initially allocated to them.

The Zimbabwean talks, which began in Pretoria South Africa on July 24 but deadlocked five days later, resumed this week at an undisclosed location north of the South African capital.

A memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago in Harare \"envisaged that the dialogue will be completed within a period of two weeks of signing\", although it also stated that negotiations \"will continue until all the parties have finalised all necessary matters\".

Those \"matters\" concern the structure of the government that will shape the country\'s future when Zanu-PF and both factions of the Movement for Democratic Change share power in a transitional authority.

The Star has been reliably informed that despite the five-day suspension, the rival parties are finally agreed on a genuine sharing of power, likely to install Morgan Tsvangirai as an executive prime minister, with Robert Mugabe in a ceremonial role as president, while the 20-plus ministries will be divided between the parties.

\"They are down to detail now,\" one source claimed, \"although how long that will take is still unclear, but a deal is not far off. Not at all.\"

Although the negotiating teams will continue to meet throughout this week in SA, the weight of the discussions has shifted to Harare, where party leaders will meet with chief facilitator Thabo Mbeki on Thursday, and continue to meet regularly until a settlement.

Following a round of informal discussions between Tsvangirai and Mugabe in recent weeks, the two have agreed to discuss the serious issues of governance between themselves, while their representatives will focus on rolling out their decisions at the Tshwane talks.

Tsvangirai is expected to return to Zimbabwe on Wednesday.-The Star