Mugabe appoints vice-presidents

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has sworn in two vice-presidents ahead of talks on forming a cabinet, threatening a power-sharing deal.

Mr Mugabe has already allocated to his Zanu-PF party the ministries of defence, home affairs - which is in charge of the police - and finance, crucial for the resuscitation of the devastated economy, angering Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The parties have been at loggerheads since the signing of a September 15 pact on how to divide up 31 cabinet posts.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is due in the country in a bid to mediate between the two parties.

Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai told supporters at a rally in Harare: "If this mediation fails we will say 'this marriage has failed to be consummated, and we cannot force things'. There will be no option but to go our separate ways."

He added: "(But) as long as there is an opportunity we will continue to negotiate until we reach an agreement."

The cabinet impasse has outraged Zimbabweans who had hoped the power-sharing agreement would end an economic meltdown.

Zimbabwe has the world's highest inflation, which was last measured at 231 million per cent, chronic shortages of food and foreign currency, and crumbling infrastructure.

The power-sharing deal allows Mr Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe's independence from Britain in 1980, to retain the presidency and chair the cabinet. Mr Tsvangirai, as prime minister, will head a council of ministers supervising the cabinet.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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