The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Harare

Zimbabwe's ruling party has resolved that President Robert Mugabe's controversial re-election is a "non-negotiable" issue in ongoing talks with the opposition in South Africa, state media said Friday. Citing unnamed party insiders, The Herald said ZANU-PF's politburo declared at a meeting in Harare on Wednesday that the outcome of the June 27 ballot which was boycotted by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had to be respected.

"The meeting noted that there has to be a figure who appoints the all-inclusive government envisaged in the memorandum of understanding signed on Monday," said the report.

"And that figure is President Mugabe who won the run-off," the government mouthpiece added.

An unnamed source was quoted by the paper as saying that "there has to be a figure who creates the all-inclusive government".

Mugabe and Tsvangirai inked a memorandum of understanding earlier this week to pave the way for the fully-fledged talks that opened in Pretoria on Thursday aimed at ending the country's months-long political and economic woes.