6 Nov 2009

Tsvangirai calls of Mugabe boycott

10:28 pm on 6 November 2009

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called off his party's boycott of the unity government with President Robert Mugabe.

The BBC reports Mr Tsvangirai says he is giving Mr Mugabe 30 days to implement the power-sharing agreement on pertinent issues.

He was speaking after regional crisis talks in Mozambique.

The MDC accuses Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF of continuing to harass its activists and acting in bad faith.

Mr Tsvangirai walked out of the coalition government on 16 October in protest at the detention of a senior MDC official on terrorism charges and over Mr Mugabe's failure to implement political agreements.

The official, Roy Bennett, was later released on bail and is due to go on trial later this month on charges of terrorism, insurgency, sabotage and banditry.

He was arrested in February, as he was due to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister.

The MDC also says there have been increased violent attacks on party members by Zanu-PF militants.

Zanu-PF says the allegations are "cheap propaganda".