Zimbabwe power-share talks resume Wednesday

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and political rival Morgan Tsvangirai failed to reach an agreement Tuesday over new fissures in their power-sharing deal signed last month, despite hours of negotiations.

There was "no conclusion," to the negotiations, which were mediated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tsvangirai said. Tsvangirai, the Movement for Democratic Change leader, threatened to pull out of the power-sharing agreement after Mugabe decided he would give key ministries to his ruling party.

"We will continue tomorrow," Tsvangirai said Tuesday night, emerging from the talks.

Mugabe concurred, saying, "We are continuing tomorrow. We are not finished."

The talks began at noon Tuesday at the Rainbow Towers hotel in Harare, and finished around 9 p.m. They are to resume there Wednesday morning.

Mbeki brokered the September 15 power-sharing deal between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Under the agreement, signed after months of protracted debate, Mugabe retained his office. Tsvangirai was to become prime minister and Arthur Mutambara, who leads a splinter MDC faction, was to become deputy prime minister. Zimbabwe's parliament will have to amend the constitution to implement the power-sharing agreement.

The president's decision to give key ministries -- including defense, justice, and media -- to his ruling ZANU-PF party, became public over the weekend, with Zimbabwe's state-run newspaper, The Herald, outlining the president's allocation.

According to the outline, ZANU-PF would take control of defense, home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and legal affairs, and media and information. Ministries given to Tsvangirai's MDC would include constitutional and parliamentary affairs, economic planning, health, labor, and sport, arts and culture, the paper said. Mutambara would oversee education, industry and commerce, and regional integration and international cooperation.

Bright Matonga, a spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF, said all parties agreed to the decision.

Tsvangirai's party called the announcement an "ambush," and the MDC leader threatened Sunday to withdraw from the deal.

Mbeki -- whose own party forced him to resign last month, nearly a week after the agreement in Zimbabwe was signed -- arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday.

Although the deal was signed nearly a month ago, Mugabe and Tsvangirai had been negotiating the distribution of Cabinet posts. ZANU-PF contends now, citing the published list, that the only post in dispute is the finance minister; MDC disagrees, saying all are undetermined.

The recent developments threaten the power-sharing agreement, which was to end months of turmoil and violence that followed the country's March presidential elections.

Tsvangirai garnered the most votes in March but did not win enough to avoid a runoff with 84-year-old Mugabe, who has ruled the country since its independence.

The MDC leader withdrew days ahead of the June 27 runoff with Mugabe, alleging that Mugabe's supporters had waged a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters. He said he could not participate in the election, which he condemned as a "sham."

Meanwhile, as the talks occurred Tuesday, Zimbabwe's parliament resumed session, with ZANU-PF in the minority for the first time since the country gained independence in 1980 from Britain.

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