Zimbabwean leaders Mugabe and Tsvangirai sign historic pact

ZIMBABWE'S president Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders today signed a power-sharing deal that will see him lose some of his all-encompassing power.

The deal's mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki, introduced Mugabe as president, main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a smaller opposition faction, as deputy prime minister moments before the three signed the document.

It follows three months of difficult negotiations mediated by Mr Mbeki at the request of the Southern African Development Community.

Leaders of the 14-member regional bloc and of the African Union were at the ceremony.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said today that Zimbabwe's landmark power-sharing deal must be translated into "action on the ground" to help the nation's beleaguered population.

Arriving in Brussels for talks with fellow EU foreign ministers, he said everyone was "on tenterhooks" waiting to hear details of the agreement following a signing ceremony in Harare.

But Mr Miliband made clear the new pact between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would have to be seen to work before any significant change in EU relations with Zimbabwe.

The deal brings Mr Tsvangirai into government as Prime Minister and the EU foreign ministers were expected to respond by suspending plans to extend an existing list of sanctions against more than 100 members of the Mugabe regime.

But pressure from some member states to go further and end the sanctions altogether is likely to be resisted by a majority.

The EU has no formal relations with Zimbabwe but has supplied humanitarian aid. Officials say more formal trade and aid packages could be triggered if the new government arrangement restores stability and provides direct benefits to help the population.

Mr Miliband said: "We are on tenterhooks waiting for the details of the agreement in Zimbabwe and the shape of the new government that is being created there.

"The absolute imperative is the welfare of the Zimbabwe people.

"We know a new democratic mandate exists and now we need to see that translated into action on the ground."

The foreign ministers were also discussing sending an EU monitoring mission to Georgia to oversee a pull-back of Russian troops as agreed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in talks earlier this month.

The EU wants to send 200 observers and would like them in place by October 1.

Mr Miliband said the UK would be closely involved: "We are very committed to playing our full part in this important mission."

It was important that the EU made clear to Russia that it must comply with its part of a six-point peace plan, he said. "There is great concern about Russian behaviour in the last four or five weeks, about territorial integrity and the way it has been violated."