The World : Zimbabwe Foes May Agree

Zimbabwe opposition leader Joshua Nkomo said that he and Prime Minister Robert Mugabe have settled most of their differences and intend to merge their political parties as a prelude to forming a one-party state, long a Mugabe objective. Nkomo has charged that his Ndebele followers have been persecuted, tortured and slain by Mugabe’s Shona-dominated government. However, in urging a crowd of 30,000 supporters to forget the past, Nkomo said his Zimbabwe African People’s Union and Mugabe’s governing Zimbabwe African National Union “will form a one-party state on socialist principles.” Division of Cabinet posts and Parliament seats must still be worked out, he said.