|PIC1|The Bishop of Harare, the Rt Rev Sebastian Bakare, said he was hopeful after hearing that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai are to enter leadership discussions.

The rival leaders had been at loggerheads since the discredited March presidential election. Tsvangirai claimed victory in that vote but pulled out of the ensuing run-off election won by Mugabe. He had until this week refused to meet the veteran president, citing state-sponsored violence against MDC supporters.

Bishop Bakare was appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to replace the deposed Nolbert Kunonga.

He told reporters at the Lambeth Conference on Tuesday, "I left Zimbabwe on a crossroad after the run-off elections. We didn't know where to go, which direction to take.

"News that the two rival parties have agreed to go into discussions has sort of given us a little hope."

He added, however, that it was too early to speculate on whether the discussions would lead to a lasting truce between the leaders.

The talks will take place against the backdrop of Zimbabwe's spiralling economic and social crisis, with the currency virtually worthless and unemployment standing at a crippling 80 per cent. Bishop Bakare said that basic necessities were in shortsupply, most urgently food and medicines.

"We have been living under a system that has been so oppressive and has denied people their human rights, including religious freedom."

He said that Kunonga continued to enjoy the support of the Mugabe regime whilst legitimate churchgoers in his diocese are facing daily persecution at the hands of police.

The bishop said that Anglicans had not been allowed to worship in their churches and spoke of police breaking up Sunday services.

"Our buildings are locked up and we have to look for alternative places to have our services every Sunday," he said.

"This is the context in which the church has to witness the Gospel. Where people are denied to worship freely, preaching good news becomes a challenge because of instruments of intimidation," he said.

"It is not easy for some people to pray when the other eye is looking for the police to come in."

He said that the trouble had made him even more aware of the need to preach the Bible's teachings on peace and justice.

"I cannot stand up in front of a congregation without referring my sermon to peace and justice," he told reporters.

Bishop Bakare said, however, that the intimidation was leading more Zimbabweans to "see the centrality of the Gospel" in their daily lives and feel a "sense of ownership" towards their churches.

"It is their church they are fighting for," he said.

"Wherever they meet they express their anger...Wherever they meet they pray. Wherever they meet they share some hope that one day our churches will be opened once more."