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Mugabe nears deal with Zimbabwe opposition
Shapi Shacinda, Reuters
August 08, 2007

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN930274.html

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is nearing a deal with the opposition to end a political crisis in his country after South Africa tried to broker an agreement, a document obtained by Reuters on Wednesday indicated.

A confidential report due to be presented by South African President Thabo Mbeki to leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) says "progress" has been made in talks between Mugabe's ruling party and the opposition and a deal could be close.

"It seems there are no real substantive issues between the government and the (opposition) MDC. There are strong indications that the two sides are sliding towards an agreement," the report says.

SADC asked Mbeki to mediate talks between Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition party in March. He is due to report back on his progress at an SADC summit in Lusaka next week.

The request for Mbeki to mediate followed a crackdown on MDC activists which triggered international outrage and renewed calls on African nations to pressure Mugabe to agree to political reforms. SADC stopped short of condemning the crackdown.

Despite a media blackout on the talks, some reports said South African negotiators have struggled to get ZANU-PF representatives and the MDC to agree on anything of substance in the past five months.

But the South African document says various contentious issues, including constitutional reforms, have been "worked out" by the two sides.

The report also blames the country's former colonial power, Britain, which has been highly critical of Mugabe, for Zimbabwe's isolation by Western nations.

Mugabe blames Western sanctions for hyper-inflation, food shortages and an economic crisis in the formerly prosperous southern African nation. Critics say Mugabe is at fault because of his controversial policy of farm seizures.

"The most worrisome thing is that the UK continues to deny its role as the principle protagonist in the Zimbabwean issue and is persisting with its activities to isolate Zimbabwe," the report said.

The report said Britain had a "death wish" on the dialogue between ZANU-PF and the MDC, which faces its own internal divisions.

Scrutiny of the talks has intensified as thousands of desperate Zimbabweans trying to escape poverty and unemployment of 80 percent sneak over the border into South Africa every day.

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