JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai struck a power-sharing deal Thursday after more than a month of wrangling, but it was still far from clear how the bitter foes would divide the authority to govern.
The agreement, brokered by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and reached in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, signals that Mugabe may be willing to cede some authority to Tsvangirai, easing the political crisis that has engulfed Zimbabwe for months.
Mbeki said the agreement would be signed and full details would be released on Monday.
Officials in both the governing and opposition party described an arrangement that seemed to leave neither man in charge. That may reduce the chances that the accord will bring new stability and attract the foreign aid needed to rebuild the country's economy.
Under the agreement, officials said, Tsvangirai would become prime minister and oversee a council of ministers that would formulate and carry out policies. Mugabe would retain his title of president and would head a Cabinet apparently made up of the same group of ministers. How the government would resolve conflicts was not clear.
Asked who would head the government under this arrangement, Nelson Chamisa, a spokesman for the opposition, did not name one man or the other but instead replied, "This is an inclusive government." He said executive power would be shared by the president, the prime minister and the Cabinet.
NEWS SERVICES
