Tsvangirai is 'satisfied' with Zimbabwe talks deadline

31 July 2008 @ 02:44 pm EDT

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said he is "fairly satisfied" after initial talks with President Robert Mugabe's party to end a political crisis in the southern African country.

Tsvangirai also insisted a Monday 4 August deadline was "not inflexible." Power-sharing negotiations began last week following international pressure over Mugabe's re-election.

"I am fairly satisfied, but there are, like in any negotiations, sticking points that need to be unravelled," Tsvangirai told reporters in Dakar after meeting Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

The talks began in South Africa last week but were adjourned on Tuesday.

"Two weeks may appear too short, but it is not inflexible and I am sure that the facilitation will adjust as progress moves forward," Tsvangirai said.

A framework for the talks signed on 21 July committed both sides to concluding negotiations by 4 August.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who had not met in over a decade, agreed last year to adopt a new constitution. However, President Mugabe failed to implement it before a March presidential election that led to a wave of violent attacks in the country and a widely-condemned run-off vote.

Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, won the first round in March, but official results showed that he had received less than the 50 percent required for an undisputed victory over Mugabe.

Meanwhile, Mugabe claimed victory in the second round of voting in June after Tsvangirai pulled out, complaining that his supporters were suffering violent attacks from the opposition party.

The MDC says at least 120 of its supporters have been killed, around 5,000 abducted and 200,000 forced from their homes since the first round of the elections. The MDC blames says the attacks are from pro-Mugabe militias and the army.

South African President Thabo Mbeki is mediating the reconciliation talks and will consult with representatives of the African Union, United Nations and the Southern African Development Community.

This article is copyrighted by International Business Times.

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