HARARE : Zimbabwe's opposition was Saturday gearing up to ink an agreement that paves the way for fully-fledged talks on the country's crisis after the African Union and UN agreed to help bolster the mediation.

The memorandum of understanding outlining the talks agenda and ground rules, was to have been signed on Wednesday, but opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai backed out as he pushed for others players to be brought into a mediation process which is led by South African President Thabo Mbeki.

A meeting on Friday between Mbeki, African Union commission chairman Jean Ping and the UN's top envoy to Harare, ended with an agreement to create a new body that would provide regular progress updates and allow for greater input in the talks.

"The expansion of the mediation effort is a positive and encouraging development that will embolden the integrity of the process, adds international stamina, stressing the urgent seriousness required to solve this crisis," said Nelson Chamisa, spokesman of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.

"The enhancement of the credibility of the process, positions the MDC in a ready-to-take-off mode," he told AFP.

The MDC and President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF began preliminary talks last week aimed at establishing a framework for substantive negotiations under South African mediation.

The so-called memorandum of understanding for the substantive talks which could open as early as next week, according to the media in neighbouring South Africa, could be signed in coming days.

- AFP /ls