Zimbabwe crisis continues as MDC declares deadlock

ZIMBABWE’S inflation rate soared to 231 million per cent, but the country’s economic and political crisis showed no sign of ending as the opposition MDC declared a deadlock in power-sharing talks.

More than three weeks after signing a deal with President Robert Mugabe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declared no progress made in forming a unity government.

But he said he was still confident the deal could work, and indicated that former South African president Thabo Mbeki could intervene to break the impasse.

“We are confident about the potential of the deal,” he told reporters. “In the process of implementation, we have hit an impasse but not on fundamental contents.

“We have declared a deadlock and therefore the process cannot move forward except in the presence of the facilitator... We have asked him to come,” Tsvangirai said.

Mbeki helped facilitate the historic deal on September 15.