Harare - Zimbabwean civil liberty groups on Tuesday dismissed a power-sharing deal signed earlier this month by Zimbabwe's main political protagonists, and warned they would not accept plans by the three parties to draft a new constitution.

The agreement provides for Mugabe to continue as executive president with some reduced powers, and for pro-democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the popular Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, to become prime minister, with Arthur Mutambara of the MDC's smaller offshoot, his deputy.

The deal was hoped to be a final way out of the country's economic, social and humanitarian disaster brought by nearly three decades of Mugabe's dictatorship.

However, the agreement deadlocked immediately after the signing last Monday, when the three sides could not agree on how to share out the proposed new government's ministries.

The MDC said the 84-year-old Mugabe, who heads the Zanu-PF party, wanted to keep all the key posts, like defence, police, finance, justice and local government.

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), which unites the Zimbabwe's trade unions, human rights organizations and churches, declared Monday, after lengthy meetings, that the agreement provided for "very little power sharing."

NCA chairman Lovemore Madhuku said the main features of the current constitution had been retained in the agreement, with Mugabe "wielding overwhelming powers." He said Tsvangirai's post "has been created merely to absorb the MDC under the guise of power-sharing. We will be happy if it fails.

"The people who were running Mugabe's torture camps in the June election are now the same ones who are explaining the agreement to people in the rural areas."

"They are saying that it gobbles the MDC up into Zanu-PF," Madhuku added.

The agreed document also states that the new "inclusive" government's task during its 18-month life is to draft a new "people- driven constitution" before holding free and fair elections, but, said Madhuku, the document "provides for nothing of that sort."

He said the agreement prescribed that parliament would draw up the new national law protecting the freedoms and rights of its citizens. "This is unacceptable," he said.

"The NCA totally rejects it. Zanu-PF and the MDC are attempting to usurp the power of the people. The constitution must be written by the people, for the people."

The NCA was insisting on a constitution-making process run by a commission that included trade unions, churches, political parties, groups representing women, youths, academics, the media and business.

Madhuku said there was "desperation" among Zimbabweans and hope that the deal would lift people out of economic chaos, but "deep down in their hearts they are very sceptical."

The NCA's demands came with worsening hardships across the country, with already massive queues outside banks for cash continuing to grow, food shortages worsening and prices surging wilder than ever.

The power-sharing agreement followed Zimbabwe's disputed and violent general elections that began in late March and saw Mugabe win an uncontested second-round presidential vote by late June after his main rival Tsvangirai withdrew.

Over 120 MDC supporters were murdered and thousands maimed and made homeless by the time the landmark agreement for a unity government was signed on September 15. (dpa)