South African President Kgalema Motlanthe on Sunday expressed disappointment at the deadlock in power sharing talks between Zimbabwean rival parties.

Addressing emergency summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on the political impasse in Zimbabwe, President Motlanthe, whose country holds the rotating SADC chair, said that the historic power sharing agreement signed on Sept. 15 remains the only vehicle to help extricate Zimbabwe from its socio-economic challenges.

It is however disappointing that it is two months since the signing of the agreement and the parties have not yet been able to conclude the discussions on the formation of an inclusive government, the president added.

Motlanthe said that the political leadership in Zimbabwe owes it to the people of Zimbabwe and the region to show political maturity, by putting the interest of Zimbabwe first.

The president urged the Zimbabwe parties concerned to build on the achievement made so far and reach an agreement on the outstanding issues including the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Zimbabwe's ruling party ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, under growing domestic, regional and international pressure, hammered out a power-sharing deal mid in September, which is widely seen as the only cure of the country's long running economic and political crisis.

But they have since then sharply bickered over which ministries each side will control.

The bickering, mainly centered on control of the powerful ministries of defense, home affairs, finance, information, local government and justice, now threatens the power-sharing agreement painstakingly brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki over several months on behalf of the African Union (AU) and SADC.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai accuses Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe of attempting to take all the key ministries, leaving his partners in the proposed coalition government with inconsequential cabinet portfolios.

He has vowed never to accept skewed sharing of power, threatening to pull out of the proposed government of national unity in which Tsvangirai has been designated prime minister.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2008)