Zimbabwe's prime minister-designate has said he does not trust longtime ruler Robert Mugabe but believes he is committed to their new power-sharing deal.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Morgan Tsvangirai also said he believes the international community will rally to help end Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis, which has spawned hyperinflation and sent thousands fleeing to neighboring South Africa every day.

Mugabe ceded some power in Zimbabwe for the first time in 28 years, signing a power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai and a leader of a splinter opposition faction Monday.

"The deal as far as we are concerned is the best thing for the country," Tsvangirai said at his home in the capital. "We will be able to work within the deal to achieve the necessary transformation."

Meeting with reporters for his first interviews since signing the deal, the 56-year-old Tsvangirai looked confident but tired as he spoke about the hard work ahead.

Under the pact, already criticized by other opposition leaders, Mugabe remains president and head of government, chairing the Cabinet. Tsvangirai will be prime minister and head of a new Council of Ministers responsible for forming government policy. He is deputy chairman of the Cabinet.

The new government is expected to be sworn in this week.

Long-simmering, bitter differences and the nation's economic collapse - inflation is officially running at 11 million per cent - put the deal under intense pressure.

Tsvangirai was asked if he trusted Mugabe.

"Ask me a generic question and I say 'No' because of the experience I have had with him," he responded. "(But) I trust he is committed to this agreement, I trust he wants this deal as much as we do. He wants to move forward because it is part of his legacy."

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