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Mugabe
says World must Accept
his Presidency
(Video)
 (AP) - President Robert
Mugabe said on
Friday that although he accepted the need for negotiations to end
Zimbabwe's crisis, the opposition must drop their claim to power and
accept that he was the country's leader. Returning home after an
African Union summit in Egypt that called on Tuesday for him to open
negotiations with the opposition of Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe struck an
intransigent stance.
"Tsvangirai and his group must disabuse themselves of their
claim (to power), he said, adding: "We are open to dialogue but reality
is reality and it has to be accepted... I am the President of the
Republic of Zimbabwe."
As Mugabe arrived home, neighboring Botswana called on the Southern
African Development Community, the regional body mediating in Zimbabwe,
not to recognize Mugabe's re-election.
Botswana was one of the most outspoken critics of Mugabe, 84, at the
summit.
But Mugabe, welcomed by thousands of cheering supporters, seemed
unchastened and defiant despite unprecented African criticism of his
decision to go ahead with a June 27 vote in which he was re-elected
unopposed.
In a statement apparently aimed at Botswana and Zambia, his chief
regional critics, Mugabe warned his neighbors not to pick a fight.
"If there are some who may want to fight us, they should think twice.
We don't intend to fight any neighbors. We are a peaceful country, but
if there is a ...neighboring country that is itching for a fight, ah,
then let them try it."
ECONOMY RUINED
Mugabe, in power since 1980, insisted that Zimbabwe's crisis, which has
ruined the economy and sent millions of refugees into neighboring
states, must be settled internally.
"We are happy that the AU accepted the position that the Zimbabwean
problem must be resolved by Zimbabweans through negotiations."
The AU summit in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh issued a resolution on
Tuesday calling for talks leading to a national unity government.
Mugabe was re-elected in an election which was condemned both inside
and outside Africa after Tsvangirai withdrew because of violence which
he said had killed 86 of his supporters.
Tsvangirai has rejected talks until government-backed violence against
his supporters ends. He says Mugabe's ZANU-PF party must accept him as
the rightful election winner, after a first round poll in March in
which he defeated the veteran president.
Mugabe said his land reform program, under which thousands of mostly
white-owned were seized and the land redistributed, was irreversible
and sanctions against Zimbabwe must be lifted.
The program was said to be a measure to give the properties to landless
blacks but critics say many of the biggest farms ended up in the hands
of senior military officers and Mugabe loyalists.
The critics say the program caused the collapse of Zimbabwe's
once-prosperous economy. Mugabe blames Western sanctions.
Botswana noted that Mugabe had ignored appeals from SADC and the U.N.
Security Council to call off the election.
"As a country that practices democracy and the rule of law, Botswana
does not ... recognize the outcome of the presidential run-off election
and would expect other SADC member states to do the same," Botswana's
Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said in a statement.
Mugabe said he wanted South African President Thabo Mbeki to continue
mediating in the Zimbabwe crisis, as he has done as the official SADC
mediator since last year.
"We are happy that President Mbeki continues to be the facilitator. We
have said that the facilitator did nothing wrong," Mugabe said.
Mbeki has been widely criticized, including inside South Africa itself,
for what is seen as ineffective mediation that favors Mugabe.
Tsvangirai says he is not satisfied with Mbeki and has called for an AU
envoy to lead expanded mediation.
(Writing by Barry Moody, additional reporting by Nelson Banya in
Harare, Paul Simao, Gordon Bell and Marius Bosch in Johannesburg)
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