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Johannesburg: Talks between Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition parties are set to begin in South Africa on Tuesday, the host country said, in a first step toward resolving the country's myriad problems.
Bitter rivals President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had agreed on Monday to formal talks about sharing power to end Zimbabwe's crisis.
Mukoni Ratshitanga, spokesman for mediator President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, said the talks would start later on Tuesday at a secret location.
Tsvangirai said on Tuesday that the agreement "offers the most tangible opportunity in the past 10 years to improve the lives of our fellow citizens."
Mbeki persuaded the parties to agree to complete negotiations within two weeks, in a sudden show of urgency probably heightened by intense international pressure.
The agreement includes a key opposition demand for an end to the political violence that has killed dozens, injured thousands and sent tens of thousands fleeing from their homes.
In Brussels on Tuesday, European Union foreign ministers are to consider tightening sanctions against Mugabe. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Monday's meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai was only "a first step."
The EU imposed a travel ban and asset freezes against Mugabe and about 130 of his cronies in 2003 for human rights violations.
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