Zimbabwe Talks Adjourn for Consultation

Talks to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis have been adjourned to allow negotiators consult their principals, South African President Thabo Mbeki has announced. Denying media reports that the talks had collapsed, Mbeki, who is the lead mediator in the crisis, said the negotiating teams had flown back home to Zimbabwe, where they would consult with their respective leaders - President Robert Mugabe and Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai - before resuming talks. International media reports had indicated that the talks had disintegrated after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) rejected a proposal by Mugabe’s party to make Tsvangirai Vice President in a unity government. [PE]