Zimbabwean parties engaged in negotiations are within days of finalising a political document that would cover all the important issues needed to ensure a free and fair election.
This emerged from a meeting at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday between President Thabo Mbeki, who is facilitating the talks, and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
Following the meeting, Ahern told reporters that Mbeki gave him a very detailed account of the negotiations.
”He brought us through each of the categories, and the present position on the negotiations, and the work towards the political documents where all of these elements that have been worked through will form the [content] of the political document,” Ahern said.
”He would, in days, be engaged in the final aspects of this,” he added.
Ahern, however, said Mbeki also admitted that there were still sticking points in the talks but that he was determined to work through it.
Mbeki did not attend the press conference.
Ahern paid a courtesy visit to Mbeki before meeting Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as part of his official visit to South Africa.
South African-brokered negotiations between President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and factions of Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change have deadlocked over the timing of elections and a new constitution.
However, they resumed after Mbeki summoned negotiators to Pretoria over the weekend. — Sapa