Zimbabwe rival parties return home with no sign of deal

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

HARARE (AFP) — Zimbabwe's rival parties have returned home from talks in South Africa, officials said Sunday, with no sign of a power-sharing deal to resolve the country's bitter political crisis.

Negotiating teams from President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF and both factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) returned home after holding separate talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday.

The South African president's spokesman told AFP on Sunday that the talks would continue, but silence from the parties about the way forward pointed to tensions.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa confirmed Sunday that their negotiators had met with Mbeki Friday and had since returned to Zimbabwe.

"We remain cautiously optimistic that...