Zimbabwe's opposition chief would accept the prime minister's post and concede the presidency _ and command of the military _ to Robert Mugabe to settle a political crisis in his country, the Associated Press learned Saturday. Morgan Tsvangirai outlined his proposal for resolving the contentious issue of who would lead any unity government in a speech to regional Cabinet ministers gathered on the eve of a Southern African Development Community summit. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the speech on Saturday, the day the summit opened. Tsvangirai's proposal, which he said his Movement for Democratic Change has presented in deadlocked negotiations with Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, would mean a major curbing of the powers Mugabe has wielded since the country gained independence in 1980. But it also would leave Tsvangirai working closely with a leader he has reviled as a brutal dictator. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating Zimbabwe's power-sharing talks, spent much of the past week in Zimbabwe trying to push Mugabe and Tsvangirai to strike a deal. The question of Mugabe's role has been a major sticking point, with the longtime president reportedly refusing to yield any power and his administration publicly mocking Tsvangirai's claim to have the mandate to lead Zimbabwe.
