No Deadlock, Says Zimbabwe Opposition Leader

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Aug. 13 -- Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that his party remains committed to negotiating an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis amid reports that talks had deadlocked over who should wield executive powers in a proposed unity government.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is facilitating the talks, traveled to Zimbabwe last weekend to finalize a proposed power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and the opposition. But Mbeki left the country empty-handed Wednesday after Mugabe and Tsvangirai failed to reach an agreement.

Tsvangirai walked out of the negotiations Tuesday appearing glum, sparking speculation that the talks had stalled.

But he said in a statement Wednesday that his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, "remains committed to participating in any meaningful and genuine dialogue that urgently moves this process forward."

A senior opposition official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the battle between Mugabe and Tsvangirai for executive control had scuttled the deal.

The official said that after agreeing to most of the key issues during the marathon talks in Harare, the capital, Tsvangirai took a new position Tuesday, demanding that the results of the March 29 presidential vote be considered the premise of the power-sharing deal.

Tsvangirai won the election but by a margin that electoral officials said required a second round of voting. Tsvangirai boycotted the second vote, on June 27, protesting state-sponsored political violence against his supporters; electoral officials went ahead with the runoff, which Mugabe won.

Tsvangirai also rejected a ruling party proposal that would make him prime minister but give him control of only the finance, local government and home affairs portfolios in the cabinet, while all executive power would be vested in Mugabe, the official said.

"Mugabe's eagerness to hold on to executive powers, to appoint ministers and chair the cabinet prompted Tsvangirai to make the eleventh-hour U-turn," the official said.

Mbeki, widely criticized for his soft stance toward Mugabe, had expected to seal a deal this week, ahead of a summit of regional leaders Saturday in Johannesburg.

State media reported Tuesday that Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, and Arthur Mutambara, head of an opposition splinter faction, had signed a power-sharing deal. Quoting unnamed sources, the reports said Mugabe would "soon" call parliament to session and appoint a new cabinet that would include members of Mutambara's faction.

But Mbeki and Mutambara denied the reports and insisted that the talks had not collapsed.

"We have dealt with all the elements on which President Mugabe and Mutambara agree, but there is disagreement on one element over which Morgan Tsvangirai had asked for time to reflect," Mbeki told reporters Wednesday. "We have adjourned to give Morgan Tsvangirai more time to consider these matters."

Political commentator Eldred Masunungure said leaders attending the regional summit should come up with a "decisive and conclusive" recommendation on how to resolve the impasse, arguing that a government without Tsvangirai would be rejected internationally.

"Intense regional pressure is needed to compel the negotiating parties to reach a power-sharing agreement," Masunungure said, adding that "the current impasse is just a break, rather than a breakdown of talks."