Tsvangirai says still committed to Zimbabwe talks

By Cris Chinaka

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Wednesday he was still committed to power-sharing negotiations after three days of talks with President Robert Mugabe broke off without a deal.

In a statement, Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe's post-election government should be based on the March 29 first-round presidential election -- which he won, but not by a clear majority.

Negotiations followed Mugabe's unopposed re-election in June in a poll from which Tsvangirai withdrew because of attacks on his supporters. The ballot was condemned around the world.

Key to the negotiations is who gets which leadership positions and with which powers.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai met in Harare for three days in the latest round. It ended on Tuesday night without reaching agreement, dimming hopes of an end to a post election crisis that has worsened Zimbabwe's economic decline.

"The MDC remains committed to participating in any meaningful and genuine dialogue that urgently moves this process forward," Tsvangirai said in the emailed statement.

"We are committed to a solution that recognizes that the people spoke on the 29th of March 2008 -- a solution that ensures tangible deliverables are put on the table of Zimbabweans. A solution must thus put the people first, not leadership positions and titles."

South African President Thabo Mbeki, the chief mediator, said an agreement can still be reached soon despite the failure to get a deal at the marathon negotiations.

"We are indeed convinced that it is possible to conclude these negotiations quite quickly," Mbeki told reporters in the Angolan capital Luanda.

Mbeki appealed for patience, saying the crucial issue of leadership positions was still under discussion.

"They are working on a truly inclusive government," he said.

SENSITIVE ISSUE

The South African leader said overnight that the leader of the smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, had agreed to power-sharing with Mugabe. Mutambara says he has not signed a deal.

Leadership posts are a very sensitive issue for old foes Mugabe and Tsvangirai. But Zimbabwean political commentator Eldred Masunungure said concessions are unavoidable.

"The distance that President Mbeki and the Zimbabwe negotiators have traveled in these talks is quite long and if it is only one sticking issue, no matter how critical or strategic, it will be overcome," he said.