Harare - Riot police broke up a student demonstration in Harare, injuring at least four people and arresting three Tuesday, in the first such incident of police violence since the signing of a power-sharing agreement by Zimbabwe's political protagonists a month ago.

The attack on the peaceful demonstration took place just as former South African president Thabo Mbeki began mediating to try and rescue the agreement from collapse after President Robert Mugabe at the

Harare - Attempts to settle Zimbabwe's political crisis appeared to be shattered Saturday after President Robert Mugabe allocated all the incoming power-sharing government's critical portfolios to his Zanu-PF party.

The move was denounced immediately by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party with whom Mugabe has been deadlocked over cabinet posts for nearly a month, as "unilateral."

Harare, Oct. 11 : Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has violated his ZANU-PF party''''s power-sharing deal with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai by allocating the three important portfolios of defence, home affairs and finance to members of his party.

According to The Telegraph, Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been deadlocked over how to share key ministries and have agreed to call in Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president, to mediate the crisis. Mbeki''''s spokesman said he would travel to Harare on Monday.

Johannesburg  - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Tuesday expressed regret that the party signed a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe, without having first agreed on the composition of a unity government.

Speaking on South African radio about the three-week delay in the implementation of the landmark agreement, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said he he thought the party's "big mistake" was to have signed a deal before the negotiations had been concluded.

Harare- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and pro- democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai resumed negotiations on power- sharing in Harare on Saturday, to settle on the share of ministerial portfolios, sources close to the talks said.

"They are in a meeting in state house right now," said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The talks were taking place in State House, the official presidential office, and also involved Arthur Mutambara, the head of the lesser faction of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Johannesburg  - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party has opposed calling in ex-South African president Thabo Mbeki to salvage a power-sharing deal with prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Zanu-PF's chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa rejected calls from the MDC for Mbeki to step in to end the impasse between the two parties over the distribution of cabinet posts in a new unity government.

Mbeki is the Southern African Development Community (SADC)'s mediator in Zimbabwe, who brokered the power-sharing deal between Mugabe and Tsvangirai last month.

SADC said they expected him to continue in the role after he stepped down as South African president on September 21.