Tsvangirai detained at Zimbabwe airport

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained at Harare Airport Thursday and had his passport seized, officials in his political party say.

Members of the Movement for Democratic Change say their leader was stopped by police at the airport as he was preparing to board a flight for South Africa, where he was scheduled to take part in a regional summit, The Times of London said.

MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti, who was also detained, said the airport incident was another example of government officials' "insincerity."

"They have taken our passports. This is a reflection of their insincerity," he said. "They want to talk to us yet they behave like hooligans."

The New Zimbabwean reported that MDC International Relations Secretary Eliphas Mukonoweshuro was also briefly detained with the two opposition officials.

This Day, a Johannesburg, South Africa, publication, said Thursday's incident came days after Tsvangirai left a meeting with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe regarding a power-sharing deal.

Mugabe refused to guarantee in writing during Tuesday's talks that the opposition leader would serve as the governmental head as part of the proposed deal.