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Abbas seen gambling as peace talks elusive > Special Report: Childhood Interrupted > 7 killed, 12 wounded in Texas shooting > Interviews > Zimbabwe's MDC ends unity government boycott
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By Charles Mangwiro

MAPUTO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's MDC has ended its boycott of the new unity government and will give President Robert Mugabe one month to fully implement their power-sharing deal, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday.

"We have suspended our disengagement from the GPA (Global Political Agreement) with immediate effect and we will give President Robert Mugabe 30 days to implement the agreement on the pertinent issues we are concerned about," he told reporters after a regional summit.

Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change began boycotting cabinet meetings with Mugabe's ZANU-PF last month in a dispute over the implementation of the power-sharing deal they reached after a disputed election.

Western donors are reluctant to send funds to Zimbabwe until a stable government creates a democracy that can implement political and economic reforms.

Regional leaders meeting in Mozambique on Thursday helped prevent the collapse of the unity government, threatened by the most severe political standoff since it was formed in February.

The special summit attended by Swaziland's King Mswati III, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, Zambian President Rupiah Banda and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa underscored the urgency of the problem.

Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe of being a "dishonest and unreliable partner" for refusing to implement power-sharing fully, particularly regarding senior appointments such as the central bank governor and the attorney-general.

The MDC also accuses ZANU-PF of persecuting MDC officials and holding back media and constitutional reforms which are vital for holding free and fair elections in about two years.

Mugabe says he has met his side of the deal and insists the MDC must campaign for the lifting of Western sanctions against his ZANU-PF, including travel restrictions and a freeze on general financial aid to Zimbabwe.

(Writing by Muchena Zigomo and Michael Georgy, editing by Tim Pearce)

© 2009 Reuters

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