- Oct 17 2008 10:21
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai were set on Friday to resume power-sharing talks for a fourth day to end a spat on key Cabinet posts holding up a new unity government. After nearly eight hours of talks mediated by former South African leader Thabo Mbeki on Thursday, negotiations remained stalled over how to divide the most important ministries.Mugabe told reporters while leaving the negotiations that he hoped for a breakthrough on Friday."I would not want to call the delay dilly-dallying, but we have made a lot of compromises. Everyone has made some compromises and we hope that this will be all concluded tomorrow [Friday]," state media on Friday quoted him as saying.The parties had "some good discussions", the 84-year-old said in the state mouthpiece Herald newspaper.Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said there had been some advances "but not enough to seal the deal".Speaking to Agence France-Presse on Friday, Chamisa said the MDC would not shift on demands for an equitable share of ministries. Mugabe awarded key Cabinet posts to his ruling Zanu-PF last weekend in defiance of a power-sharing deal inked last month."We are very clear we are not going to compromise," he said. "There is no going back on fundamental issues, we will not play second fiddle to Zanu-PF."
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