Tsvangirai ends boycott of government

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HARARE, Zimbabwe, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has ended his boycott of the coalition government in Zimbabwe.

The decision by Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change, which was announced late Thursday, staves off collapse of the power-sharing arrangement with President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF party, The Guardian reported. But Tsvangirai said he has set a time limit for cooperation.

"We have suspended our disengagement from the government with immediate effect," Tsvangirai said after meeting regional leaders in Maputo, Mozambique.

"We will give President Robert Mugabe 30 days to implement the agreements on the pertinent issues we are concerned about."

The MDC began the boycott Oct. 16 after what party leaders said was an increase in violence against its members and in human rights abuses against the people of Zimbabwe. The arrest of Roy Bennett, an MDC leader, on terrorism charges was cited as the immediate reason.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai participated in talks in Maputo with leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community, including President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.