HARARE (AFP) — Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's spokesman Thursday called reports of a deal in power-sharing talks ""nonsense"", but both he and South Africa said negotiations over the country's crisis were advancing.

A day after Zimbabwe's two rival parties issued a joint statement calling on supporters to halt violence, Mugabe's spokesman dismissed speculation that an accord was imminent.
""All this talk about an agreement that has supposed to have been reached, which is being reported, is utter nonsense,"" George Charamba told AFP, saying Mugabe had asked him to relay the message.
""The talks are going on well, and the people of Zimbabwe shall be informed in due course once an agreement has been reached.""
Earlier on Thursday, a South African government spokesman refused to comment on details of the talks being mediated by President Thabo Mbeki, saying only they were moving ahead.
""The government as mediator won't give details except to say that the negotiations are progressing extremely well,"" Themba Maseko told reporters.
Power-sharing talks following Mugabe's controversial re-election began in South Africa after Zimbabwe's political rivals signed an accord on July 21 laying the groundwork for negotiations.
The deal set a two-week timeframe for discussions to be concluded, but meetings have extended beyond that deadline.
Talks had broken up on July 29 as negotiators flew home to consult with their leaders amid suggestions by the opposition that discussions on power-sharing between Mugabe and rival Morgan Tsvangirai were deadlocked.
They resumed on Sunday at a secret location in South Africa.
A South African newspaper reported on Wednesday that Mugabe would have amnesty from prosecution and a ceremonial role in government under what it called a draft settlement to resolve the crisis.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Tsvangirai would run Zimbabwe as executive prime minister under the plan, The Star reported, saying it had obtained a copy of the draft.
The paper also reported that Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a smaller faction of the MDC, would hold a meeting in Harare later Thursday.
Mutambara spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa told AFP the three would meet soon, but likely not Thursday.
Officials from the main MDC faction refused comment on Thursday.
Tsvangirai boycotted the June 27 presidential run-off election despite finishing ahead of Mugabe in the March first round, citing rising violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands.
The 84-year-old Mugabe defied widespread calls to postpone the vote and went ahead with the one-man poll, handing himself a sixth term as president.
The rival parties issued a joint statement Wednesday calling on their supporters to halt all political violence in a sign that the power-sharing talks may have moved closer to an agreement.
Mushoriwa said the joint statement was agreed upon as part of the discussions, which include Mutambara's MDC faction.
Tsvangirai believes his first-round total gives him the right to the lion's share of power, but sources in his party said previously that Mugabe's negotiators had so far only offered him one of several vice-presidential posts.
The ruling party has insisted Mugabe must be recognized as president as part of any deal, since he won the June 27 vote.