John Nyashanu, Zimbabwe

DRC President and Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Joseph Kabila has held talks with Zimbabwe's political leaders, as efforts intensify to resolve the country's governance crisis. This as a Cabinet boycott by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC party enters its third week.

Kabila met President Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in Harare yesterday, ahead of the summit of the organ on politics, defence and security, penciled for Maputo-Mozambique on Thursday. He described his meeting with Mugabe as positive.

Kabila's visit to Harare marked the stepping up of diplomatic efforts to prop up the fledgling unity Government. It came hot off the heels of the ministerial meeting of SADC troika countries, last week.

Tsvangirai says Kabila assured him that SADC will do all it can to get the Government back on track. Meanwhile, Mugabe is today expected to preside over a third weekly Cabinet meeting boycotted by the MDC.