Neighbors call on Zimbabwe rivals to form joint government

source: International Herald Tribune
By Celia W. Dugger
Published: November 10, 2008

JOHANNESBURG: Southern African leaders called Monday for political rivals in Zimbabwe to share control of the crucial ministry that oversees the police and to form a joint government immediately, but the opposition flatly rejected the proposal as unworkable and unfair.

Impatient with a crisis that has dragged on for more than seven months since disputed elections in March, the regional leaders sought to force a resolution of the deadlocked power-sharing talks between the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, and the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in a day of talks on Sunday.

“We cannot afford to postpone the formation of an inclusive government because there is a dispute over who gets the Ministry of Home Affairs,” said Tomáz Salamão, executive secretary of [continue reading]