UNITED NATIONS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe on Tuesday as "desperate" and urged the country's rival parties meeting in South Africa to reach a rapid deal on a new government.

A statement read by U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said Ban was "alarmed that the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is now desperate and will worsen in the coming months," with nearly half the 12 million population needing food aid.

Zimbabwe, whose rival political parties have so far failed to agree on a power-sharing government, is suffering from an economic crisis with inflation topping 230 million percent. A recent cholera outbreak has killed more than 300 people.

"The Secretary-General urges all parties to support and provide humanitarian assistance leaving political considerations aside," Montas said.

Negotiators from President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a breakaway MDC faction were meeting in South Africa on Tuesday with President Thabo Mbeki to discuss breaking the deadlock.

Montas said Ban called on them to rapidly reach an agreement in line with a Sept. 15 power-sharing deal which has still not been implemented amid disputes over who should control key ministries.

"The people of Zimbabwe cannot afford another failure by their political leadership to reach a fair and workable agreement that would allow Zimbabwe to tackle the formidable challenges ahead," Ban was quoted as saying.

Ban regretted a decision by Zimbabwe's government to bar entry last weekend to a humanitarian mission by "the Elders" -- a group including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"The Secretary-General hopes that another mission can take place in the near future, given the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country," Montas said. (Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; editing by Jackie Frank)

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