Work groups set up by the Mozambican government and the opposition RENAMO have failed to submit on time reports meant to serve as the basis for an upcoming meeting of President Joaquim Chissano and RENAMO leader Afonso Dhlakama. Lusa reported that at their last meeting in January, the two leaders agreed that the work group reports should be submitted by 15 March.

The meeting between Chissano and Dhlakama has been scheduled to take place at an unspecified date in the last two weeks of March. The news agency quoted a source on the president's office as saying that the delay was not likely to affect the encounter, as "there are still 16 days until the end of the month". The March talks between Chissano and Dhlakama would be the third round of negotiations aiming to defuse political tensions in Mozambique as a result of RENAMO's allegations of election vote rigging in 1999.