Mbeki says he's upbeat on Zimbabwe talks

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Former South African President Thabo Mbeki says progress is being made to revive a fragile power-sharing pact in Zimbabwe.

Mbeki for months has been mediating differences between Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The latest deadlock involves disagreements over who should lead key ministries, CNN reported Monday, noting an agreement to share power is seen by many as the only hope for saving Zimbabwe from political and economic ruin.

Mbeki met Monday in Harare with Tsvangirai, Mugabe and several leaders from the 12-member Southern African Development Community.

"Progress on the talks is very good," Mbeki said shortly before convening Monday's regional summit, CNN reported, noting Mbeki gave no specific details.

The summit was aborted last week in Swaziland when Mugabe's government denied Tsvangirai a passport to attend, CNN reported.