WORLD BRIEFING / ZIMBABWE
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President Robert Mugabe and longtime political rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai sat side by side at a state funeral that was seen as a symbolic step for their parties’ month-old coalition.
The funeral was for former defense forces commander and Mugabe loyalist Gen. Vitalis Zvinavashe. It was Tsvangirai’s first formal attendance at a shrine for fallen guerrillas and political leaders. Mugabe had attended Tuesday’s funeral service for Tsvangirai’s wife, Susan, who died in a car crash south of Harare a week ago.
Most of the nation’s military commanders are ex-guerrillas of the independence war and have refused to salute Tsvangirai, a civilian and former labor leader who did not take part in that war.
At the funeral, commanders saluted Zvinavashe’s casket as Mugabe and Tsvangirai watched.
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