Expectations had been high that the talks would produce a power-sharing deal after they had stretched into the early hours of Monday, with the principals saying there were just a few sticking issues that needed to be ironed out, according to the state media New Ziana.
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Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (C) walks out from the Rainbow Towers hotel in Harare August 11, 2008, the venue for the talks with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on a power-sharing deal chaired by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
"Not exactly," he said in response to a question on whether the talks were progressing well. "We will meet tomorrow," he said, adding sticking issues would be overcome. "They will be overcome," he said.
Zimbabwe held presidential and parliamentary elections on March29, in which presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai received a leading number of votes but failed to win outright. His Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party won a majority seats in the lower house of the parliament.
Tsvangirai boycotted the June 27 presidential run-off, citing political violence as the major reason. The result is Mugabe, the sole candidate in the race, won an overwhelming victory and was sworn in for a new presidential term immediately after the election result was announced on June 29. However, Tsvangirai refused to acknowledge Mugabe's victory.
The two sides agreed to seek solution to the country's political stalemate and economic crisis through dialogue under South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediation.
They first held talks in South Africa for about two weeks and later moved the talks back to Harare.
Mbeki arrived in Harare on Saturday and convened the talks the following morning with most people expecting that they were a mere formality.
However, after 14 hours of marathon talks, they could not reach a deal.
The talks re-convened Monday afternoon, as President Mugabe had earlier gone to officiate at the Heroes' Day commemorations, which breakaway MDC formation leader Arthur Mutambara also attended.
Speculation is rife that issues sticking in the deal are largely to do with sharing of critical cabinet posts, including that of defense, foreign affairs and information as well as the roles that Mugabe and Tsvangirai would assume in the government of national unity.
It is understood that Tsvangirai is pressing for an executive post in which he would control cabinet with Mugabe as ceremonial head.
Mistrust and wide differences in philosophy are also believed to be preventing the rival parties from reaching agreement, with Mugabe accusing the opposition of protecting the interests of foreign powers that sponsor it so that it could reverse the land reform program.
