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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Mbeki in Harare for crisis talks | Mbeki in Harare for crisis talks |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| South Africa's Thabo Mbeki has held talks in Harare with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and members of a breakaway opposition faction. | |
| Mr Mbeki has been the chief regional negotiator on the Zimbabwe crisis, and has been trying to persuade Mr Mugabe to form a government of national unity. | Mr Mbeki has been the chief regional negotiator on the Zimbabwe crisis, and has been trying to persuade Mr Mugabe to form a government of national unity. |
| However, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition party, declined to meet Mr Mbeki. | |
| Earlier, video emerged of vote rigging in last month's presidential run-off. | |
| In secretly filmed footage, a prison guard and fellow prison officers were shown being forced to vote for President Robert Mugabe in front of superior officers. | In secretly filmed footage, a prison guard and fellow prison officers were shown being forced to vote for President Robert Mugabe in front of superior officers. |
| The guard, Shepherd Yuda, filmed the vote-rigging for Guardian Films. He has now fled Zimbabwe. | The guard, Shepherd Yuda, filmed the vote-rigging for Guardian Films. He has now fled Zimbabwe. |
| Political crisis | Political crisis |
| The main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), pulled out of the presidential run-off vote citing campaign violence. | |
| Robert Mugabe has said the opposition must accept him as president | Robert Mugabe has said the opposition must accept him as president |
| The MDC says 5,000 of its members are still missing and that more than 100 of its supporters have been murdered in continuing post-poll intimidation. | |
| Mr Mugabe has said the opposition must accept him as leader before any talks can take place on ending the country's political crisis. | Mr Mugabe has said the opposition must accept him as leader before any talks can take place on ending the country's political crisis. |
| A spokesman for Mr Tsvangirai said he had refused to attend a meeting at State House in Harare because doing so would imply recognition of Mr Mugabe as president following his controversial re-election. | |
| The BBC's Peter Greste in Johannesburg says the MDC does not believe Mr Mbeki is managing the mediation process in a way that it is comfortable with, so it sees little point in taking part in talks with him. | |
| There is not a great deal of confidence that Zimbabwe's political stalemate will be resolved any time soon, our correspondent adds. | |
| Mr Tsvangirai has previously called for Mr Mbeki to be replaced as the regional mediator, accusing him of favouring Mr Mugabe | |
| Sharing power | |
| Mr Mbeki held brief talks with Mr Mugabe before the pair were joined by members of a dissident faction of the MDC. | |
| They included the faction's leader, Arthur Mutambara, its secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, and the latter's deputy, Priscilla Misihairibwi-Mushonga. | They included the faction's leader, Arthur Mutambara, its secretary-general, Welshman Ncube, and the latter's deputy, Priscilla Misihairibwi-Mushonga. |
| A spokesman for Mr Mbeki told Reuters: "The president earlier on Saturday met President Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara in the context of the mediation process." | A spokesman for Mr Mbeki told Reuters: "The president earlier on Saturday met President Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara in the context of the mediation process." |
| Mr Mutambara's faction broke away from the MDC in 2005. It pledged to work with the MDC in April ahead of the run-off vote, having supported another candidate in the first round of voting in March. | |
| Last week, Mr Tsvangirai said the violence had to end before talks on sharing power could be entertained. | |
| A small group of African states has joined the European Union, the US and other Western nations in criticising the way the election was run. |