Harare - White Zimbabwean farmers yesterday offered to give the government one million hectares (almost 2.5 million acres) of land for resettlement by poor black farmers, in an attempt to jumpstart talks to end more than a year of violence on farms.
The proposal also calls for ending litigation against the government and provides financing for newly-resettled farmers and some tillage services and technical assistance.
In presenting their offer, leading farming and banking officials said they had already made some contacts with the government, marking a substantial turnaround from the government's previous refusal to talk.
"We certainly feel that the mood is receptive to an agreement at this point," said Mr Malcolm Vowles, who co-ordinated the effort under the newly-launched Zimbabwe Joint Resettlement Initiative.
"This proposal is a catalyst to get down to some serious negotiations," said Mr Vowles, who is also a spokesman for the Commercial Farmers' Union, which represents 4,500 mostly white farmers.