Zimbabwe crisis talks begin in South Africa

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

PRETORIA (AFP) — Talks began in earnest Thursday on resolving Zimbabwe's political crisis after President Robert Mugabe gave his senior lieutenants the final go-ahead to negotiate power-sharing with the opposition.

A spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki, the chief mediator between the two sides, confirmed the ruling ZANU-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change's top negotiators were in place at a secret venue, two days after the initial scheduled start of their talks.

"Full-on talks are underway," Mukoni Ratshitanga told AFP, expressing confidence that they would lead to a swift conclusion even if not quite within an agreed two-week timeframe.

"We will finish in two weeks or just a bit after that," he added.

Under the terms of a...