Zimbabwe talks underway in S. Africa

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 24 (UPI) -- Zanu-PF, the ruling party in Zimbabwe, and the Movement for Democratic Change began face-to-face talks Thursday at a secret location in South Africa.

Mukoni Ratshitanga, a spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki, said that both the site of the talks and the agenda are not being disclosed, The Times of London reported. He appeared optimistic the talks will produce a result even if they run past the two-week timetable agreed to earlier this week in Harare.

"It does not mean if the talks are not done in two weeks, that the talks will collapse," he added.

The major area of disagreement between the two groups is the leadership of a government of national unity in Zimbabwe. Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, insists that he won a March 29 presidential election with even the official results recognizing that he outpolled President Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe won the June 29 runoff after Tsvangirai dropped out, saying that Zanu-PF violence against his supporters made a fair vote impossible.