South African President Thabo Mbeki says power-sharing talks in Zimbabwe have adjourned to give opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai more time to consider his position.
Mr. Mbeki left Zimbabwe Wednesday after mediating three days of talks between Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway opposition group.
Mr. Mbeki said the parties had not reached a power-sharing agreement. But he said the Mutambara faction had agreed with Mr. Mugabe on all critical elements of a deal.
Officials with Mr. Mugabe's party say the president and Mutambara signed a political deal. Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper reports Wednesday that the president is preparing to form a government with Mutambara, with or without Tsvangirai.
But a spokesman for Mutambara says no deal has been signed. Mutambara is to hold a press conference Wednesday.
It is unclear when the crisis talks might resume.
Tsvangirai won elections in March, but official results showed him falling short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff vote. Tsvangirai boycotted the June runoff election because of attacks on his supporters, and Mr. Mugabe claimed an uncontested victory.
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