World Aug. 11, 2008 - 04:21AM JST ( 5 )

HARARE —

Zimbabwe’s political rivals remained locked in marathon power-sharing talks late Sunday with South African President Thabo Mbeki amid signs they had closed in on a deal to end the country’s protracted crisis.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, the head of a smaller MDC faction, had spent more than 10 hours at a central Harare hotel for the meetings.

It was unclear if the leaders planned to break off the talks or push on into the night to hammer out an agreement.

Mutambara spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa said that Mbeki had first met all three individually before bringing them in together.

Earlier Sunday, bouquets of flowers and chairs were brought into the same ballroom at the hotel where on July 21 the rivals signed a deal laying the framework for power-sharing negotiations. But the day passed without word of when or if a ceremony was planned.

MDC number two Tendai Biti, the party’s chief negotiator, briefly spoke to reporters as he left the Rainbow Towers hotel early in the day, nodding yes when asked if any progress had been made.

“I think we all need to pray,” he said.

Mbeki, the mediator for the Zimbabwe talks, arrived in Harare late Saturday after more than two weeks of negotiations in South Africa in a bid to reach a power-sharing deal following Mugabe’s widely condemned re-election.

His trip came amid signs the rivals were nearing a deal in the negotiations, with both Mbeki’s government and Mugabe reporting progress in recent days.

It also came ahead of Zimbabwe’s Heroes’ Day on Monday in honor of those who died in the guerrilla war that led to the country’s independence from Britain in 1980. Next weekend, a summit of southern African heads of state is planned.

Zimbabwean state media reported Sunday morning that negotiators had reached agreement on key issues and Mbeki’s meetings would focus on hammering out the details of a new government.

Quoting unnamed sources close to the talks, The Sunday Mail said negotiators for the ruling and opposition parties had already resolved issues related to land and other matters.

Land distribution has long been a major issue in Zimbabwe following independence. Mugabe embarked on a chaotic land reform program at the turn of the decade which saw some 4,000 white-owned farms expropriated by the state.

Critics say the land program led to Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown, with the country facing the world’s highest inflation rate and major food shortages.

Mugabe blames the country’s woes on sanctions imposed by the EU and the United States following presidential elections in 2002, which the MDC and Western observers charged were rigged to hand the Zimbabwe president victory.

The power-sharing talks follow the 84-year-old Mugabe’s re-election in a one-candidate poll in June.

Tsvangirai boycotted the June 27 presidential run-off despite finishing ahead of Mugabe in the March first round, citing violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands.

The opposition leader believes his first-round total gives him the right to the lion’s share of power. The ruling ZANU-PF party has insisted Mugabe must be recognized as president as part of any deal, as he won the June 27 vote.

Negotiations have reportedly included proposals for Mugabe to take on a more ceremonial role as president in exchange for amnesty from prosecution, with Tsvangirai being made executive prime minister.

Human rights groups say Mugabe could face prosecution over a myriad of issues ranging from the killing of opposition supporters in the 1980s to the recent political violence.

However, some analysts question whether Mugabe, as well as his allies among the country’s highly influential security chiefs, will relinquish power and if the bitter arch-rivals could work together in a unity government.

Wire reports