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Announcement Seen Soon From Zimbabwe Unity Principals on Talks Progress


Sources close to the talks said issues including the empaneling of Media and Electoral commissions had been resolved, though not much progress has been made on the more contentious question of top political appointments

The heads of the three parties in Zimbabe's unity government met Monday to discuss the outcome of the latest round of talks on outstanding issues troubling power sharing, and were said to be preparing to an announcement.

Sources close to the talks said issues including the empaneling of Media and Electoral commissions had been resolved, though not much progress has been made on the more contentious question of top political appointments with ZANU-PF hardliners digging in at a party congress on the weekend.

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that an announcement could be expected this week.

Sources said negotiators for ZANU-PF have recommended that the unity principals address a news conference and call for Western sanctions - one of the former ruling party's high-priority issues - to be lifted.

They also called on their leaders to publicly denounce hate speech and urge members of their parties to co-exist peacefully.

There were no indications that the negotiators were anywhere closed to settling the question of replacing Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono or Attorney General Johannes Tomana, a priority for Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC.

President Robert Mugabe has been adamant about keeping both men in place - he reappointed or appointed both of them in late 2008 without consulting his future partners in government - and the ZANU-PF congress which ended on the weekend resolved that no concessions should be made on this point.

Political analyst George Mkhwanazi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that such intransigence will further destabilize power sharing.

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