Harare  - South African president Jacob Zuma Friday ended a two-day visit to Zimbabwe to mediate between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, saying they had agreed to accelerate implementation of their power-sharing agreement.

Speaking as he opened Harare's annual agricultural show, Zuma urged Mugabe and Tsvangirai - partners in the countrys coalition government - to work together to remove any remaining obstacles in honouring the agreement.

Zuma held consultations with Mugabe and Tsvangirai, separately and together, after the pro-democracy leader appealed to him early this month as head of the regional organisation that brokered the transitional administration to get the 85-year-old president to stop maintaining his repressive rule.

The parties were in agreement on the need to speed up the implementation and find solutions to the current points of the agreement, Zuma said.

The government also has a responsibility fully to implement the agreement and create confidence in the process, Zuma said - in an apparent criticism of Mugabes insistence that he has met all his undertakings.

MDC sources said that Tsvangirai had been pleased with Zuma's mediation, and that he had been very fair in the talks.

It was in marked contrast to (Thabo) Mbeki, he said, referring to Zuma's predecessor who last year brokered the talks that led to the coalition agreement.

Tsvangirai and Mbeki constantly clashed, with Tsvangirai demanding his replacement as mediator because of his open support for Mugabe. Mbeki was widely criticised for his policy of quiet diplomacy in which he never criticised Mugabe.

MDC sources said that at 11 pm on Thursday Zuma had interrupted a lengthy banquet hosted by Mugabe on Thursday night when he insisted he leave to meet privately with Tsvangirai.

After that two-hour meeting, he went on to meet deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara, the leader of the breakaway faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change and the other partner in the coalition government, for another two hours.

Tsvangirai says Mugabes police are on a campaign of trumped-up prosecutions of MDC MPs and human rights activists, his cronies are still invading white-owned farms, he will not budge on his unilateral appointment of his cronies to central bank governor and of provincial governors, is stalling on moves to create a democratic constitution and on media reform and refuses to swear in Tsvangirai's popular white aide, Roy Bennett.

Mugabe claims that Tsvangirai has not carried out his obligation under the agreement to have sanctions against the government lifted. Observers say that the only measures are travel and investment bans against Mugabe and his close circle that have had no effect on the economy of the country.

Before Zuma's visit, there were hopes among Tsvangirais camp that Zuma would, behind closed doors, be firm with Mugabe, after remarks on Wednesday by Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of South Africas ruling African National Congress, that the wave of prosecutions of MDC MPs amounted to deviant behavior by Mugabe, and that Zuma would be vocal in his criticism.

The MDC says Mugabe's refusal to budge on democratic reforms is blocking massive aid from Western countries that insist on irreversible change before they open their wallets.

The country is also facing famine among 2.8 million people and the imminent outbreak of cholera that killed 4 000 people last year.

Analysts say Mugabe is under pressure from powerful hardliners in his party that are fiercely opposed to any concessions that would see them lose power and privileges. (dpa)