Zimbabwe's political rivals are locked in power-sharing talks with South African president Thabo Mbeki, amid signs they've closed in on a deal aimed at ending the country's protracted crisis.
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and Arthur Mutambara, the head of a smaller MDC faction, arrived at a central Harare hotel for the talks earlier in the day.
Mutambara spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa says Mbeki had first met all three individually before bringing them in together.
Mbeki, the mediator for the Zimbabwe talks arrived in Harare late yesterday following more than two weeks of negotiations in South Africa to reach a power-sharing deal, following Mugabe's widely condemned re-election.
His trip came amid signs the rivals are nearing a deal in the negotiations, with both Mbeki's government and Mugabe reporting progress in recent days.
Bouquets of flowers and chairs have been placed in the same ballroom at the hotel where the rivals signed a deal on July 21, laying the framework for power-sharing negotiations, raising the possibility of a ceremony later in the day.
