Zimbabwe crisis talks adjourned

Talks are meant to lead to a power-sharing deal for Zimbabwe

Talks to solve Zimbabwe's political crisis will be briefly adjourned, South African President Thabo Mbeki has said.

Mr Mbeki, who is lead mediator in the talks in Pretoria, said negotiators were returning to Harare to consult with their party leaders.

He said talks between the ruling Zanu-PF and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had gone well.

However, earlier reports said the talks were deadlocked over the allocation of key posts in any future government.

MDC spokesman George Sibotshiwe told the AFP news agency that he could not discuss the details of the disagreements because of a media blackout.

"If the sticking points are resolved then the talks will resume," he said.

MDC sources have said a proposal to make opposition leader Morgan Tvsangirai Zimbabwe's third vice-president as a way of solving the crisis was "insulting".

ZIMBABWE TALKS What MDC wants: Mugabe to step down "Transitional authority" to organise new elections What Zanu-PF wants: Mugabe to be accepted as president MDC to take a few minor ministries International community to drop sanctions and help kick-start economy Full text of the Memorandum of Understanding[39KB] Bitter hope in Harare

Both Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe say they won presidential elections earlier this year.

The talks are supposed to result in some form of power-sharing arrangement, although the details are unclear.

The agreement to talk, signed last Monday, did not mention the central issue - whether Mr Mugabe would remain as president.

"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's 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," he added.

South African Preisdent Thabo Mbeki said the talks were going well

The BBC's Peter Biles in South Africa says that the media blackout surrounding the talks is creating some confusion amongst analysts.

Our correspondent says Mr Mbeki is trying to portray the adjournment as a minor interruption.

Talks began last week after Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai met for the first time in a decade.

Mr Tsvangirai pushed Mr Mugabe into second place in the first round of voting on 29 March but he pulled out of a 27 June run-off election after a wave of deadly attacks against his supporters.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that more than 120 of its supporters have been killed, some 5,000 abducted and 200,000 forced to flee their homes after being attacked by Zanu-PF militias and security agents.