Zimbabwe leader, rival meet and sign deal on talks

Zimbabwe's longtime president and his bitter opposition foe met Monday _ for the first time in a decade _ to sign an agreement paving the way for immediate talks on resolving the country's protracted political crisis.

President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed the breakthrough deal committing both sides to creating a "genuine viable, permanent and sustainable solution" within two weeks.

The talks will begin Thursday in Pretoria, the South African capital, according to an opposition official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The deal _ which comes nearly three …