Paul Nyathi|The ruling ZANU PF and opposition MDC finally agreed to sit down in one room and talk, ZimEye.com can reveal.

Reliable sources from within the parties told ZimEye.com that the two rival political parties held a two day meeting in Bulawayo over the weekend which included two other opposition political parties the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe and the Robert Mugabe backed National Patriotic Front.

According to the sources, the meeting discussed modalities on how the parties, who all are represented in parliament, can get their principals to meet and formulate a prosperous way forward for the country.

Last week President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for a meeting inviting all 2018 presidential candidates to begin planning for talks but the leader of the MDC which is the main opposition party, Nelson Chamisa, did not attend the meeting.

According to the sources, the Bulawayo meeting agreed that talks should begin with the political parties that are represented in parliament before all the other parties and stakeholders are included.

The meeting is said to have further agreed that Mnangagwa and Chamisa should first meet and sort out their differences in order to make talks with the other parties effective.

ZimEye.com could not immediately get a comment from the MDC on the meeting but sources indicated that Senator Gideon (pictured) Shoko represented the party in the talks.

The MDC leadership has been adamant that it will not meet with the ruling ZANU PF party at any level without a neutral mediator. It is not clear at the moment who convened the Bulawayo meeting.