HARARE, Aug 11: Zimbabwe’s political rivals were locked in a new round of power-sharing talks on Monday to end the country’s crisis after President Robert Mugabe warned the opposition not to be “used by enemies”.

Mugabe, opposition Movement for Democratic Change chief Morgan Tsvangirai and the head of a smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, arrived at a hotel in the mid-afternoon for talks mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki.

The meetings come after a full day’s worth of negotiations on Sunday held in the same location and also mediated by Mbeki, amid signs the rivals had closed in on a power-sharing deal following Mugabe’s controversial re-election.

Mugabe, accompanied by Zimbabwe Defence Force Commander Constantine Chiwenga, did not comment when entering.

Speaking earlier in the day during commemorations in honour of fighters who died in the liberation war against white minority rule, Mugabe said Zimbabwe “was not for sale” and “will never be a colony again”.

He also called for “unity guided by basic principles”.

“Let’s not hand over the country to the enemy,” the 84-year-old leader said, addressing the audience in both Shona and English.

“If you are on the enemy’s side or you are being used by enemies, stop it.” Mugabe has often sought to portray Tsvangirai as a stooge of former colonial power Britain, though his rhetoric has cooled in recent weeks with the two sides engaged in talks.

He said “when somebody makes you turn against each other, you don’t say we are no longer family members.” Sunday’s talks broke up more than 13 hours after the three leaders arrived at the hotel, with Mugabe saying he was “confident” a deal was within reach as he left the discussions.

Asked if there were sticking points, Mugabe said: “There are always sticking points in any dialogue, but we are confident we will overcome.” Tsvangirai refused comment as he left the hotel.

Mutambara, who attended Mugabe’s Heroes’ Day speech on Monday unlike in previous years, said only that “the talks are still in progress”.

His spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa said however that “14 hours of discussion means there is some kind of disagreement. If it was an agreement, it would have been in two hours.” On Sunday, bouquets of flowers and chairs were brought into the ballroom at the hotel where on July 21 the rivals signed a deal laying the framework for power-sharing negotiations.—AFP