Harare- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and pro- democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai resumed negotiations on power- sharing in Harare on Saturday, to settle on the share of ministerial portfolios, sources close to the talks said.

"They are in a meeting in state house right now," said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The talks were taking place in State House, the official presidential office, and also involved Arthur Mutambara, the head of the lesser faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Harare - Confusion struck Zimbabwe's financial system Friday after the central bank stopped electronic transfers, following the currency's crash to a new record low.

State radio quoted Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono as saying that electronic transfers had been suspended because they were "being used for illicit foreign exchange deals," and by businesses "to overprice their goods and services."

"We have no option but to take this drastic measure in order to maintain sanity in the financial system," he said.

Johannesburg - After several months postponement Zimbabwe announced Thursday the 13th summit of the 20-nation Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) will take place in Victoria Falls resort from November 25 to December 8.

Zimbabwe takes over the rotating presidency of the trade grouping at the summit from Kenya.

Confirming the summit, Christian Katsande, permanent secretary in the international trade ministry, said COMESA members aimed to launch a customs union at the summit.

The meeting had been due to take place in April but was put on hold over a spate of political violence following elections in March that the longtime opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won.

Johannesburg  - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has opposed calling in ex-South African president Thabo Mbeki to salvage a power-sharing deal with prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Zanu-PF's chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa rejected calls from the MDC for Mbeki to step in to end the impasse between the two parties over the distribution of cabinet posts in a new unity government.

Mbeki is the Southern African Development Community (SADC)'s mediator in Zimbabwe, who brokered the power-sharing deal between Mugabe and Tsvangirai last month.

SADC said they expected him to continue in the role after he stepped down as South African president on September 21.

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe promised Monday that he and his fo