afrol News, 10 September - Zimbabwe's political foes could end today having signed a power-sharing deal, president Robert Mugabe said following resumption of negotiations today.

The latest round of talks opened on Monday at a Harare hotel with mediator, South African president Thabo Mbeki, flying in to push negotiators past a major block of how power would be shared between two leaders.

"We are finishing tomorrow, hopefully. We are still going to talk, there are one or two areas of disagreement," Mr Mugabe said late Tuesday as he left the venue for the talks.

After two days of discussions, president Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvagirai said they hoped to address the outstanding issues between them today.

"I must say that there is a positive development," Mr Tsvangirai said.

South Africa's national broadcaster, SABC, reported earlier that a fresh document had been tabled in Harare providing opposition leader with more power, as an executive prime minister.

Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) wants Mr Mugabe to become a ceremonial president with Mr Tsvangirai running the country.

However Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party says the president should retain control of the security services and powers to appoint and dismiss ministers.

Earlier on Tuesday, a source close to the talks said Mr Tsvangirai had held separate positive talks in the morning with president Mbeki who flew to Harare on Monday to revive the talks.

His counterpart from the breakaway MDC faction Arthur Mutambara, also expressed optimism that a deal is in sight.

"We have made tremendous progress, there are few remaining issues to be resolved and hopefully tomorrow we will bring finality and closure to this important process of dialogue," said Mr Mutambara.

Meanwhile, politics and security committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was supposed to meet in Swazi capital Mbabane to discuss Zimbabwe but summit was postponed, South African foreign ministry spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement.

"We have been advised that SADC Troika Summit of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-ordination scheduled for Wednesday in Mbabane, Swaziland, has been postponed," until a day later, Mr Mamoepa said.

The talks, which resumed on Monday, were deadlocked on the allocation of executive powers between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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