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Last Updated: Sunday, 19 August 2007, 18:53 GMT 19:53 UK
Is That a Deal?
Tonight the documentary maker, Michael Cockerell, begins a a new series of the Sunday Supplement, Is That a Deal?, which looks at how sworn enemies have been brought together in the past through skilful negotiations.

In part one...

He goes back to l979 when the Conservative peer, and former Foreign Secretary, Peter Carrington persuaded the white minority rulers of Rhodesia to come to an agreement with black nationalist leaders to end the long running armed conflict.

It was said at the time that only a conservative government, which was instinctively more sympathetic to the whites, could persuade them to relinquish power.

Since then, of course, the high hopes of a prosperous, democratic Zimbabwe have been horribly dashed.

Michael Cockerell, explains what went wrong.

In part two...

The long drawn out and ultimately fruitless discussions between Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown to bring together Labour and Liberal Democrats in some form of relationship.

Is That a Deal? Part one

Is That a Deal? Part two

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