Mbeki to discuss Zimbabwe crisis with AU chairman

By Paul Simao

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Thabo Mbeki and the African Union's top diplomat will meet on Friday to discuss the political crisis in Zimbabwe, an Mbeki spokesman said on Monday.

Officials from Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change met last week for the first time since President Robert Mugabe's June 27 re-election, which was boycotted by the opposition and condemned by Western nations.

South Africa's government is mediating the talks in Pretoria.

"The president called the meeting in order to brief Mr. (Jean) Ping on developments in the Zimbabwe facilitation process," Mbeki spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said. He added they would meet on Friday.

Ping is the most senior permanent AU official.

The MDC has downplayed the importance of talks with the ZANU-PF and demanded that Mugabe's government halt violence against opposition supporters and recognize MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai's victory in a March poll.

Tsvangirai won a March 29 election but failed to win the absolute majority required to avoid a second ballot. The MDC leader withdrew from the run-off citing a wave of attacks by pro-Mugabe militia.

The MDC said 113 of its activists have been killed in election-related violence.