IN a bid to end feuding between Zimbabwe’s coalition partners, South African president Jacob Zuma met president Robert Mugabe and other leaders and appeared cautiously optimistic that their differences could be resolved.

Thailand’s army chief urged the caretaker government today to lift a state of emergency and backed a proposal to form a government of national unity that would include all the country’s parties.

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader today began campaigning for neighbouring leaders to pressure Robert Mugabe to release election results and end the political crisis paralysing the country.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas told the PLO’s top decision-making body today that unity government talks with Hamas were dead and he blamed the radical Islamic group for their collapse, participants in the meeting said.

The rival Hamas and Fatah parties have frozen talks on forming a Palestinian unity government, Fatah officials said – a new setback in efforts to form a more moderate coalition acceptable to the West.

AN AIDE to President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said talks on forming a Palestinian unity government have been suspended, the latest setback in drawn-out efforts by the rival Hamas and Fatah movements to establish a coalition acceptable to the West.

The Hamas-controlled Palestinian government will resign within two or three days to make way for a new unity government that could help end a punishing Western aid boycott and resume long-frozen peace talks with Israel, a senior Palestinian negotiator said today.

IVORY Coast President Laurent Gbagbo insisted the opposition rejoin the country’s unity government after violent clashes claimed at least 25 lives and brought the peace process to the brink of collapse.