Britain has given a cautious welcome to a power-sharing deal signed between Zimbabwe's political rivals.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he hoped the agreement would allow "a turn in the tide of suffering in Zimbabwe".

He said Britain was ready to support the new government if it shows it has broken with the policies followed by President Robert Mugabe over recent years.

And Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said that the extent of any future British support would depend on the actions of the new administration governing the southern African nation.

The landmark deal means Mr Mugabe will cede some of his powers for the first time in nearly three decades of iron rule, after the country's independence from Britain in 1980.

Under the agreement, brokered by South African President Thabo Mbeki, Mr Mugabe remains Zimbabwean president, while opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai takes on the position of prime minister.

The two men put their signatures to the solution at a ceremony today in capital Harare attended by leaders of the Southern African Development Community and African Union.

The deal follows disputed presidential elections earlier this year, in which Mr Tsvangirai won a majority in the first round of voting but dropped out of the second round, citing fears of violence against supporters of his Movement for Democratic Change.

Mr Tsvangirai thanked Mr Mbeki for his efforts in finding a solution that was "acceptable to all the parties" and said the Zimbabwean nation was counting on all signatories to deliver on the commitments contained in it.

The agreement is understood to call for a Cabinet with 31 members; 16 from the opposition and 15 from Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

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