- Zimbabwe's negotiators on Tuesday briefly adjourned the crisis talks in the neighbouring South Africa to return to Harare for consultation with their party leaders.
This was announced by the chief negotiator of the talks between the ruling Zanu-PF of President Robert Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change. President Thabo Mbeki said the Pretoria talks had gone well, contradicting an earlier report that the two sides had deadlocked over the allocation of key posts in a would-be power-sharing government.
"They are adjourning for a number of days so that they could go back to Harare to consult with their principals and then come back," said Mr Mbeki.
"It is going very well. In the memorandum of understanding they said they will try to conclude negotiations within two weeks. They are very determined to keep to that commitment."
The crisis talks began last week after Mr Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai met and shook hands for the first time in ten years. Both leaders expressed commitment to resolve the looming political crisis in the interest of national peace, unity and reconciliation.
However, the media blackout on the talks has been causing confusion and rumour mongering. Leaks from the opposition camp said the talks were deadlocked after a proposal to appoint Mr Tsvangirai as the southern African country's third Vice President was put on the table. This claim is yet to be confirmed by the chief mediator.
It is still unclear whether the two sides will agree on common grounds, taking into cognizance their numerous differences and perceptions. While the government might favour the establishment of a national unity government, the opposition wantted a time table for transition so that elections would take place later.
Mr Tsvangirai had led in the first found of polls on 29 March presidential elections, but failed short of a margin to form a government. He had however withdrawn from the contest barely four days before the 27 June run-off election, backing his decision with a wave of deadly attacks against his supporters.
Even as the two sides were busy brainstorming on how to resolve their differences, the opposition was still crying foul that more than 120 of its supports had been killed, some 5,000 abducted and 200,000 forced to flee their homes after they were attacked by Zanu-PF militias and security agents.
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