The SADC summit in Maputo on Saturday called on the Zimbabwe unity government to delay elections in that country by two weeks.
The Southern African body was responding to President Robert Mugabe's proclamation of July 31 as the election date. Mugabe cited an earlier Zimbabwean court ruling that elections be held by the end of July.
The two factions of Zimbabwe's MDC - present at Saturday's summit - disagree with the SADC decision. They insist there must be reforms of the security sector and media laws before a vote.
The Movement for Democratic Change had a list of concerns. It worried about the potential for vote-rigging and violence, believing that President Mugabe had acted unconstitutionally by unilaterally declaring an election date. The MDC also wanted the meeting to come up with a code of conduct regulating the army's behaviour during elections.
