Harare — MDC-T, which pressured South African President Thabo Mbeki to reconvene talks, has demanded that Cabinet be co-chaired by President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, open fresh negotiations on all issues that had been discussed and agreed to and complained about Tuesday's official opening of Parliament.

Zanu-PF has, however, made it clear that it would not engage in such useless discussions, a source close to the proceedings has revealed.

The negotiating teams flew to South Africa on Thursday with the Zanu-PF delegation of Cde Patrick Chinamasa, Cde Nicholas Goche joined by Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was on a private visit to South Africa.

Elton Mangoma led the MDC-T delegation after its secretary-general, Tendai Biti, failed to show up despite pressing President Mbeki to convene the talks while Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga represented the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC formation.

According to the source, the negotiating teams met President Mbeki separately yesterday.

"Each group met the facilitator separately and the import of those meetings was for President Mbeki to gauge feelings and thereafter decide on a way forward.

"It is understood Mangoma brought back issues that had been discussed and disposed of way in the past," the source said.

Mangoma talked about going back to an arrangement of having three Vice-Presidents, a proposal made by MDC-T at the beginning of the inter-party talks which was thrown out as not feasible.

It is also not the mandate of the negotiating teams to discuss such issues, but the principals.

The source said Mangoma also rehashed the issue of the draft constitution, demanding that it be enacted into law without reference to the people although the issue was discussed and dismissed a long time ago.

"The only new but nonetheless absurd suggestion from the MDC-T was that Cabinet be co-chaired by President Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Zanu-PF dismissed that, not just as insolent, but also stunning ignorance on how Government works," added the source.

The ruling party's negotiating team said it was up to the MDC-T to append its signature to the document.

"Zanu-PF was very categorical that it was not prepared to indulge the MDC-T with such useless suggestions. It said from its perspective all that remained was for the MDC-T to append its signature to the document, or withhold it for as long as it likes, knowing fully well that the process of forming a Government would proceed unhindered," the source said.

The MDC-T is said to have complained about the appointment of governors and the opening of the Seventh Parliament saying it should not have taken place.

In saying so, the Tsvangirai group has taken a stance against a decision of the Sadc summit that met in South Africa this month and gave President Mugabe the green light to reconvene the House.

"The MDC-T is conveniently forgetting that it not only endorsed the opening of the Parliament through its participation, but actually gained Speakership as a result of the process. Are they ready to let go the Speakership?" asked the source.

Since the official opening of Parliament by President Mugabe on Tuesday, the MDC-T has been pleading for dialogue with Mr Biti publicly urging President Mbeki to reconvene the talks.

Efforts to resume the talks on the sidelines of the Sadc summit hit a snag after Tsvangirai refused to sign the document and was later quoted by the New York Times saying it was "better to have no deal than to have a bad deal".