Zimbabwe cabinet deal near

• Talks resume, focus on finance ministry

• Mbeki takes over cabinet talks, no deal on first day

• Britain warns Mugabe over 'power grab'

• Mbeki in Zimbabwe to salvage power sharing deal

• Tsvangirai threatens to quit government

• Mugabe risks MDC fury by parcelling out ministries

• Mbeki to travel to Zim 'next week' - MDC

• Morgan Tsvangirai: Statement on the state of cabinet talks

• Tsvangirai calls in Mbeki to break deadlock

• Zanu PF says MDC jeopardising talks

• Zuma urges Zimbabwe parties to keep talking

• Tsvangirai: We must respond to crisis with utmost urgency

• Mugabe calls on West to lift 'demonic' sanctions

• Mbeki still the point man in Zimbabwe - SADC

• Excerpts of Mutambara's speech at signing of power sharing deal

• Copy of Zimbabwe power sharing document

• In Quotes: World reaction to power sharing deal

• Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara sign power sharing deal

Posted to the web: 16/10/2008 00:54:14
ZIMBABWE'S three main parties are close to breaking a deadlock over a power-sharing deal and "history is being made" at talks between President Robert Mugabe and rivals Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, Mugabe and the opposition MDC said on Wednesday.

"We have made some progress, we will finish tomorrow," Mugabe told reporters after Wednesday's session of negotiations, mediated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, ended without an agreement.

Tendai Biti, the chief negotiator for the main MDC faction led by Tsvangirai, asked by reporters when talks would be concluded, said: "If you pray hard, tomorrow. History is being made and mountains are being moved."

New Zimbabwe.com understands Zanu PF finally conceded the Finance ministry to Tsvangirai's MDC, although it was likely Mugabe would want to hang onto the Home Affairs ministry under which the police fall.

Mbeki is back in Harare to mediate between the parties after a power-sharing deal he brokered last month faltered over a dispute about cabinet posts.

The negotiations will resume on Thursday at 0930 GMT (10:30 a.m. British time), Tsvangirai said.

"The proceedings have been going...they have not concluded. We are continuing tomorrow, because there are some matters still outstanding," he told reporters as he left the talks venue.

Tsvangirai threatened to pull out of the agreement on Sunday after Mugabe allocated key ministries, including defence, home affairs -- which oversees the police -- and finance, to his Zanu PF party.

A new government will have to tackle the world's highest inflation rate of 231 million percent and severe food, fuel and foreign currency shortages.

Mugabe's party was stripped of a majority for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980 after a March 29 election which the opposition says he rigged to retain power. - Reuters/Staff Reporter
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