ZIMBABWE:ZIMBABWE'S RIVAL political parties appeared on the brink of signing a powersharing pact last night after party leaders spent the day locked in negotiations over key issues.
Despite a media blackout since the talks began nearly three weeks ago, all parties have indicated in recent days that good progress has been made on a number of sticking points, which include how much power president Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would have in a unity government.
The arrival of South African president Thabo Mbeki, the crisis's mediator, in Zimbabwe's capital on Saturday to oversee yesterday's meeting sparked intense speculation that a deal to end the country's political crisis was in the offing.
Mr Mbeki met each of the party leaders individually at the Rainbow Towers Hotel before convening a meeting with all of the stakeholders.
Tendai Biti, the chief negotiator for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), briefly spoke to reporters, nodding yes when asked if any progress had been made.
"I think we all need to pray," he said.
However, by last night it was still unclear whether Mr Mugabe, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and breakaway faction leader Arthur Mutambara had overcome the remaining hurdles.
Information leaks from all sides from the secret negotiations appear to suggest that a scenario in which Mr Mugabe would be president and Mr Tsvangirai prime minister - with the two sharing control of government ministries - is a likely outcome if a deal is agreed.
A Zanu-PF official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters a deal could be agreed to under which a unity government would form for five years.
"We anticipate there could be a signing . . . after the leaders have met to thrash out the remaining issues," the official said.
An official sign that some of the sticking points have been overcome came in the form of an MDC statement last Friday that promised it would not reverse Mr Mugabe's controversial land reform policy, which has led to 4,000 white farmers losing their farms since 2000.
In relation to compensation, the MDC said it would ask multilateral institutions and countries "inextricably connected to the Zimbabwe crisis" to compensate the white farmers, as the state did not currently have the resources.
Analysts say if Mr Mugabe does cede executive powers to Mr Tsvangirai, and he is appointed Zimbabwe's new prime minister, it will put the former trade union leader in a powerful position as his party already has a majority in parliament.
Zimbabwean journalist Georgina Godwin told al-Jazeera television if Mr Tsvangirai became prime minister then Mr Mugabe's position would be largely ceremonial: "It's a way of easing him out without him losing face and Tsvangirai will in fact hold the reigns."
However, any agreement will have to secure the go-ahead from the country's powerful military leaders who fear they may be arrested for human rights abuses during the recent presidential run-off campaign in which the MDC claim 120 supporters were killed by government loyalists.
A number of senior Zanu-PF officials are also said to be against a deal taking place because they fear a unity government could effectively mean they end up sidelined from the halls of power.