Zimbabwean authorities briefly confiscated opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's passport on Thursday, threatening to prevent him attending a regional summit in neighbouring South Africa, an MDC official said.
Tsvangirai said he had been invited to attend the weekend Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, to be hosted by South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's opposition and President Robert Mugabe.
But his departure was delayed when agents of Mugabe's Central Intelligence Organisation confiscated the emergency travel documents he was using, along with the passports of other MDC officials in his party. The talks stalled this week after Mugabe and Tsvangirai failed to agree on top leadership posts, a sensitive issue for the long-time political rivals.
Movement for Democratic Change official Andrew Chadwick said the travel documents had been returned without any explanation: "They have their passports now. They will be leaving (for South Africa) on the 6 pm (1600 GMT) flight." Tsvangirai has been using emergency travel documents after the authorities refused in June to renew his passport after it expired.
The incident is likely to raise tensions between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and embarrass Mbeki, who has dismissed criticism that he is too soft on Zimbabwe's defiant president, saying pressure will only aggravate the country's problems. MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti said the incident should send a strong message to SADC leaders.
"We have been trying to tell President Mbeki about things like this, and people wouldn't believe us. But now here it is ... for all to see." The political stalemate has worsened an already dire economic crisis. Zimbabwe has the world's highest inflation rate, 80 percent unemployment and widespread shortages of basic goods.
Tsvangirai told reporters earlier at the airport he was sure power-sharing talks with Mugabe's government would resume. Asked by reporters if he was still optimistic on a deal, Tsvangirai said: "Oh, yes, of course, we got our independence after how many talks? Hundreds and tens of meetings had been held."
The talks on power-sharing began last month after Mugabe's unopposed re-election in a vote in June that was condemned around the world and boycotted by Tsvangirai because of attacks on his supporters. But three days of meetings in Harare failed to reach an overall deal.
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