Zimbabwe power-sharing talks will resume tomorrow after President Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai failed to secure a breakthrough in today's Harare talks.
Mr Mugabe told reporters no deal was reached but the parties held a good meeting.
"We are moving forward, we are not going back," he said, as he left the Harare hotel where South African president Thabo Mbeki led talks to end the political and economic crisis, after several hours of meetings.
Asked if a deal had been reached, Mr Mugabe said: "Not yet".
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai did not speak to reporters as he left the venue but party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the negotiations would resume tomorrow.
"We are trying to bridge the areas of our differences," he said.
President Mbeki - mandated by the region to secure a deal - flew into Harare in a bid to revive talks, amid growing doubts over his chances of breaking the deadlock.
Two months of meetings in South Africa and Harare have so far failed to ease divisions over executive powers.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said yesterday he would rather leave the talks than sign a bad deal and challenged president Mugabe to hold a new election. Mr Mugabe had threatened to form a government alone if Mr Tsvangirai did not sign last week.
The post-election talks are deadlocked over how to share executive power between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, putting off any chance of rescuing Zimbabwe from its economic collapse.
Mr Tsvangirai beat Mr Mugabe in a March 29 election but fell short of enough votes to avoid a June run-off, which was won by Mr Mugabe unopposed after Mr Tsvangirai pulled out, citing violence and intimidation against his supporters.
President Mbeki has come under repeated fire for not being tough enough with Mr Mugabe.
Other southern African leaders have taken a harder line against the Zimbabwe leader, but he has refused to budge, and Mr Tsvangirai's MDC has made it clear it has little faith in Mr Mbeki as a mediator.
Reuters