President/opposition to sign deal

A UN envoy said Zimbabwe\'s ruling party and opposition are close to signing a deal outlining a framework for talks on the country\'s political crisis.



The UN\'s envoy to Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios, expects a deal to be signed by President Robert Mugabe and the opposition\'s Morgan Tsvangirai.



The agreement was due to be signed last week but Mr. Tsvangirai pulled out.



The two sides are locked in a dispute over presidential elections, which they both claim to have won.



Mr. Tsvangirai garnered more votes in the initial presidential poll, but election officials said there was no outright winner and called for a run-off.



Mr. Mugabe won the run-off but he was the only candidate after Mr. Tsvangirai pulled out, accusing the government of mounting a campaign of violence against his supporters.