Harare- Talks on the fiercely disputed sharing of cabinet posts between Zimbabwean President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) resumed Thursday amid conflicting signs of progress.

Mugabe was the last to arrive at the talks venue, keeping Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a small offshoot of the MDC who is also involved, waiting for about two hours. He told reporters that he was no longer sure the negotiations would end Thursday.

It was a contrast to Mugabe's assertion on Wednesday night that finality would be reached Thursday.

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't say," he said. Also Thursday, the state-controlled daily Herald newspaper quoted an unnamed Zanu-PF official as saying that "there could be some changes to the list (of ministries)" unilaterally allocated by Mugabe last week.

The issue of the share of ministries has been at a stalemate since September 15 when the three leaders signed a power-sharing agreement under the mediation of former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

Mugabe has insisted on holding all the key ministries that would give him exclusive control of the armed forces, the police, the central bank, state finances, the courts, the diplomatic service and the country's mines.

On Friday last week he stunned his two partners and observers by formally proclaiming, without consultation, a list that gave him absolute control.

It left Tsvangirai, who won parliamentary and the first round of presidential elections in March, with ministries like youth and culture.

Tsvangirai declared on Sunday that the move was "power grabbing, not power sharing," and that the allocation of the ministry of home affairs, which includes the police, to the MDC was "not negotiable." The MDC is also demanding that it run the finance ministry.

MDC sources said Thursday that there had been "no change" to the party's position. (dpa)