Zimbabwe Talks Reach Deadlock As Mugabe Refuses to Cede Power

Talks to resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis were on the brink of collapse last night as Robert Mugabe refused to surrender control of the government, despite losing the country's last credible election.

South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating the negotiations, was making a final push to reach agreement before heading back to Pretoria.

But the two sides remained far apart as the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, continued to insist that democracy be respected.

Mbeki arrived on Sunday with his aides predicting an agreement within the day in the hope that a new government and parliament would be installed this week, permitting Mbeki to claim a success at a regional heads of government summit in Johannesburg this weekend.

But although Tsvangirai had endorsed a plan for Mugabe to remain president with a largely ceremonial function, the opposition said it became apparent Zimbabwe's ruler for the 28 years since independence did not intend to give up power.

Zanu-PF is trying to reach a deal with the leader of a small breakaway Movement for Democratic Change faction, Arthur Mutambara, whose 10 seats in parliament hold the balance of power. Mutambara's statements in recent days indicate that he is receptive to Mugabe's overtures.

But even if Mugabe were to draw Mutambara in, and then claim to have formed a coalition government with the opposition, it is unlikely to open the door to the foreign money needed to stabilize Zimbabwe's wrecked economy, collapsing under the weight of inflation likely to rise to about 50m percent this month.

Human Rights Watch yesterday said the state-orchestrated campaign of violence that crushed support for Tsvangirai in June's presidential run-off election, after he won the first round of voting three months earlier, had claimed the lives of at least 163 opposition activists and supporters. The group said 32 people have been murdered in political violence since the election.