Zimbabwe's main opposition leader boycotted a regional summit Oct. 20, arguing the session was too limited to "knock sense" into President Robert Mugabe and make a proposed unity government a reality.

Morgan Tsvangirai's absence prompted Zimbabwe's neighbors to propose moving a meeting of a committee of the main regional bloc to Zimbabwe the following week. But that did not address opposition demands for all 12 members of the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, to meet.

"We are still calling for a full, extraordinary summit to assist us in resolving this issue," George Sibotshiwe, a Tsvangirai spokesman, said late Oct. 20.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal in September but are deadlocked over how to allocate ministries in a 31-member unity Cabinet.