1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Zimbabwe Deadlock Continues Over Mugabe's Future Role

DW staff (th)August 12, 2008

After two days of negotiations, Zimbabwe's ruling party remains at odds with opposition leaders over the role long-time President Robert Mugabe would play in a possible unity government.

https://p.dw.com/p/EvEj
Robert Mugabe speaks
Mugabe has refused to step asideImage: AP

Talks between opposition leaders and Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party are scheduled to continue on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

The two sides have been in closed-door talks at a Harare hotel since Sunday morning. The talks, presided over by South African President Thabo Mbeki, are seen as the country's best hope for ending a post-election crisis and starting down the road to economic recovery.

A source in the opposition MDC told Associated Press news agency that Mugabe continues to refuse to give up executive powers. An official from the ruling ZANU-PF countered that MDC boss Morgan Tsvangirai is holding back negotiations.

He accused Tsvangirai of "moving goal posts, forcing us to negotiate issues which we had already agreed upon," Reuters news agency reported.