Wade, who like Mugabe is in his 80s, is scheduled to hold talks with Mugabe at State House and later be treated to cocktails  at the Meikles Hotel this afternoon
Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, Mugabe’s loyal Information minister, described talk of an exit package for the 83-year-old President as wishful thinking.
He said Wade had come to the country in the context of the protracted mediation efforts between Britain and Zimbabwe.
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, told the Royal Commonwealth Society in Kampala, Uganda, last week that he was willing to discuss exit arrangements for Mugabe under a new African Union (AU)-led mediation.
The situation must change; otherwise dialogue with Zanu (PF) and our desire to counsel patience in our restless community under such life-threatening circumstances is becoming a difficult exercise, Tsvangirai said, adding his party was mulling pulling out of the talks because the ruling party had shown no commitment for principled dialogue.
Diplomatic sources said Wade was dispatched by the AU after the CHOGM summit to explore ways of assessing Tsvangirai’s call for a expanded AU-led mediation process that would oversee the installation of a transitional administration leading to internationally supervised elections.
The MDC, in the SADC brokered dialogue mediated by Mbeki, has set out tough conditions that government officials rejected as completely unacceptable. The MDC has itself made concessions to the ruling party, but Zanu (PF) has not reciprocated with any meaningful political reform.
The MDC demands include an immediate end to all forms of state-sponsored violence, disbandment of Zanu (PF) youth militias and repeal of repressive and anti- democratic legislation such as public order and media acts.
Tsvangirai has accused Mbeki of shielding Mugabe against international censure and said he was not an honest broker.
Wade announced on October 2 that he would visit Zimbabwe by the middle of that month on a mission aimed at proposing to Mugabe multilateral mediation by African heads of state to solve a seven-year political crisis besetting Harare. Earlier Harare seened unwilling to receive Wade.
The Zimbabwean was told that his proposal would involve broadening the number of players involved in current mediation talks being led by South Africa to include other African states and Zimbabwe’s former colonial master, Britain.
President Mbeki is currently leading a SADC initiative to mediate between Mugabe’s ruling Zanu (PF) party and the main opposition.
Mbeki told journalists during his visit to Zimbabwe last week, he was very confident that a solution would be found soon to Harare’s economic and political problems
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