KIGALI, September 15, 2008 (AFP) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame Monday welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe, which ended months of political crisis he said was affecting the entire African continent.

'It is a very good thing for Zimbabweans and for all Africans, because what was affecting Zimbabwe in a very clear way was affecting our continent,' he said.

Kagame was speaking to reporters in English after casting his ballot in his country's second legislative elections since the 1994 genocide.

'That breakthrough can be attributed primarily to the Zimbabweans themselves, who have agreed to be brought together and find a solution to a very serious problem,' Kagame said.

The Rwandan president also praised his South African counterpart, Thabo Mbeki, who was the main mediator in the six-month crisis between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader, now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai won more votes than Mugabe in the first round of a March election but pulled out of the second round, citing a campaign of intimidation against the opposition.

The crisis led to protracted talks which ended with Monday's signing. The precise details of the agreement were to be revealed later.

Kagame has ruled Rwanda with an iron fist since the genocide and, like Mugabe, is a vocal critic of Western interference in African politics.