Brussels - The European Union executive in Brussels on Wednesday welcomed the formation of a power-sharing government in Zimbabwe and urged new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to bring about "positive change" to the poverty-stricken country.

"I welcome today's inauguration of Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister of Zimbabwe. All parties within this power-sharing government must now work - without delay - to immediately improve the social and economic conditions for the people of Zimbabwe," said Louis Michel, the EU's aid commissioner.

"Zimbabwe's journey towards recovery will be long and difficult. The new power-sharing government has a heavy responsibility to ensure positive change for its citizens," Michel said. The European Commission is the main donor to Zimbabwe, having provided 572 million euros (741 million dollars) in both humanitarian and essential development aid to the population since 2002, officials in Brussels said.

Thousands of Zimbabweans have died of cholera in recent months, mostly for lack of clean water, and around 7 million cannot adequately feed themselves.

The deterioration in the country's health situation has been widely blamed on the populist policies of Robert Mugabe, who remains head of state and government in the power-sharing deal. (dpa)