Mbeki heads to Zimbabwe for talks

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 30 (UPI) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki traveled Wednesday to Zimbabwe for talks between that country's president and the leader of a main opposition party.

The South African Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Mbeki's visit is part of his role in mediating Zimbabwean governance structure between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, CNN reported.

Mbeki is to meet separately with Mugabe and MDC official Arthur Mutambara, the statement said. Mbeki met with Tsvangirai Tuesday in Pretoria, South Africa, site of the talks.

The statement didn't address the reported stalemate in power-sharing talks between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Mbeki said Tuesday the parties adjourned for a few days to consult with their respective officials in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital.

But the MDC, in a statement Wednesday, blamed Mugabe loyalists for maintaining a campaign of violence despite the discussions, CNN reported. It said two MDC activists were killed by Mugabe supporters last week.

Tsvangirai cited state-sanctioned violence against his supporters as the reason he withdrew from June's presidential runoff against Mugabe. The MDC said up to 80 supporters were killed by backers of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in the weeks before the election, which leaders worldwide decried as a sham.