Mugabe and Tsvangirai fail to break deadlock in talks

By Nelson Banya

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have failed to break a deadlock on forming a unity government despite direct talks, the opposition MDC party said on Tuesday.

Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Tsvangirai and Mugabe met for about an hour but remained far apart after the veteran president suggested the MDC would be a junior government partner with minor ministries.

"He wants to grab all the resource ministries like finance, home affairs, information, justice and make the MDC a peripheral player. We will end up in but out of government," Chamisa said.

There was no immediate comment from Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

Chamisa called for renewed mediation to break the stalemate.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki mediated an outline power sharing deal two weeks ago to end a long political crisis in Zimbabwe.

But Mbeki has since been ousted by his own ruling party. It is not clear whether he could remain as mediator for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) or would be replaced by another official.

Chamisa also called for intervention from the African Union.