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Zimbabwe talks stall

  • Story Highlights
  • Zimbabwe opposition says it refused sign framework agreement fro talks
  • Official says MDC wants members removed from police wanted lists
  • State-run newspaper said a deal had been agreed but MDC changed its mind
  • Talks come after Zimbabwe presidential election widely seen as discredited
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Talks to end Zimbabwe's election crisis have hit a snag following the opposition leader's refusal to sign a framework agreement, an opposition party member said Thursday.

Robert Mugabe was in Harare Thursday.

Robert Mugabe was in Harare Thursday.

Members of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's party and the opposition party have been in preliminary consultations about reaching a deal to bring an end to the situation.

The two sides were close to signing the deal Wednesday but opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai refused, a senior member of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party said.

"There is no need to rush to an agreement," the official explained. "We have been very clear that we want these talks not to be a one-man show. The AU (African Union) must be involved."

A main sticking point in the discussion is the fact that many members of the opposition party have been harassed and arrested or are on wanted lists by Zimbabwe police, the official said.

"Those on the wanted list must be cleared," the official said.

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Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union, is scheduled to arrive in South Africa to join the talks that have been mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, the official said.

Mugabe won a June 27 presidential runoff election that has been widely discredited by international observers.

Tsvangirai, the opposition candidate, withdrew from the race days before, saying Mugabe's supporters had orchestrated a campaign of beatings, intimidation and murders against his supporters.

Zimbabwe's state-run daily newspaper The Herald quoted government sources saying the representatives of the ruling ZANU-PF and two factions of the MDC had reached agreement Wednesday, but Tsvangirai decided not to sign the deal after having a conversation with Ping.

All About ZimbabweRobert MugabeMorgan Tsvangirai

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