JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South African President Thabo Mbeki announced plans Friday to work closely with the UN and the African Union as he attempts to mediate a settlement in Zimbabwe.

The plan was applauded by Zimbabwe's opposition, which has criticized Mbeki as biased in favour of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and called for him to be replaced or work with a second mediator.

Mbeki met in Pretoria on Friday with the top African Union executive, Jean Ping; an official of the Southern African Development Community responsible for regional security issues, George Chikoti; and Haile Menkerios, a special UN envoy on Zimbabwe.

According to his office, Mbeki proposed a special group of SADC, AU and UN representatives be formed with which he would talk "on an ongoing basis." The statement said the parties agreed to set up the so-called reference group.

Mbeki would remain the main mediator trying to find a solution to Zimbabwe's deadly political crisis.

George Sibotshiwe, a spokesman for the Zimbabwean opposition, told The Associated Press that the plan announced Friday met his group's demands that Mbeki be joined by another mediator.

Sibotshiwe said the step announced Friday could open the way in coming days to agreement on a framework for power-sharing talks between his Movement for Democratic Change and Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

He said he expected Ping and Mbeki to visit Zimbabwe as early as Monday.

SADC appointed Mbeki more than a year ago to mediate between Zimbabwe's political factions.

Since then, Mugabe ignored a previous agreement Mbeki help broker and announced an election date without consulting with the opposition.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mugabe and two other candidates in that March vote, and his party won control of parliament and local councils.

Official results did not give Tsvangirai the simple majority needed to avoid a presidential runoff.

He at first agreed to participate in a second round set for June 27, but pulled out days before the vote because of wide-scale, state-sponsored violence against his supporters.

Mugabe went ahead with the vote, keeping Tsvangirai's name on the ballot and declaring himself the overwhelming winner.

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