U.N.'s Ban cheers Zimbabwe deal, urges serious talks

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed a deal between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday that paves the way for talks on forming a power-sharing government.

The preliminary agreement was signed in Harare's Rainbow Towers Hotel after weeks of deadlock following Mugabe's reelection on June 27 in a widely condemned poll boycotted by Tsvangirai because of violence against his supporters.

"The Secretary-General encourages all sides to engage, in good faith, in serious talks that would lead to a lasting solution to the political crisis and address the urgent economic and humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean people," Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas said in a statement.

Monday's meeting was the first in 10 years between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who have long traded insults but shook hands at the end of the ceremony, with the opposition leader referring to Mugabe as "comrade."

"The handshake is a good sign and we hope that something will be achieved," French U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters. "We hope it's the beginning of good work together between Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe."

Ripert said any political solution had to be built on the results of the first round of the presidential poll on March 29, which was won by Tsvangirai but fell short of giving him an absolute majority, and that things "seem to be aiming in the right direction, so we're fully supportive."

France holds the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been under intense pressure to enter negotiations. Both have demanded to be recognized as Zimbabwe's rightful president.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the deal justified Moscow's decision to veto earlier this month, along with China, a Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.

"It's very good news," Churkin said of the pact. "It shows we were right when we said that there is potential (for) contacts between the parties in Zimbabwe and that this should be encouraged by the international community."

The United States was critical of Russia's action, hinting that it questioned Moscow's reliability as a global partner in resolving serious issues.

Zimbabwe's economic collapse under Mugabe's 28-year rule has plunged the once prosperous country into a vicious cycle of inflation of at least 2 million percent as well as crippling food and fuel shortages.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who mediated the deal, said the agreement committed both sides to bringing substantive negotiations to a speedy conclusion.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Todd Eastham)