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Africans urge Zimbabwe poll delay Africans urge Zimbabwe poll delay
(10 minutes later)
An emergency summit of southern African leaders has called for Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election to be postponed because of recent violence.An emergency summit of southern African leaders has called for Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election to be postponed because of recent violence.
The leaders of Swaziland and Tanzania and Angola say the conditions would not permit a free and fair election. The governments of Swaziland, Tanzania and Angola said the conditions would not permit a free and fair election.
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has urged intervention by the African Union and southern African states to end the political crisis. Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai earlier urged intervention by the African Union and southern African states to end the crisis.
Britain is also to withdraw an honorary knighthood granted to Robert Mugabe.Britain is also to withdraw an honorary knighthood granted to Robert Mugabe.
The summit of southern African leaders urged both sides to use the interval to hold talks aimed at finding a compromise to resolve the crisis. Mr Mugabe is the first foreigner to be stripped of an honorary knighthood since Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, the day before his execution.
Time for action
The summit of southern African leaders urged both sides to use the interval to hold talks aimed at finding a compromise.
The time for actions is now, the people and the country can wait no longer - we need to show leadership Morgan Tsvangirai Harare diary: Shell-shockedCan Sadc solve Zimbabwe's crisis?Mugabe stripped of knighthood
The statement followed a day of talks in the Swazi capital, Mbabane, of the troika of countries from the regional Southern African Development Community (Sadc), responsible for overseeing peace and security in southern Africa.The statement followed a day of talks in the Swazi capital, Mbabane, of the troika of countries from the regional Southern African Development Community (Sadc), responsible for overseeing peace and security in southern Africa.
It followed a news conference earlier in the day by Morgan Tsvangirai, who appealed to African leaders to help to resolve Zimbabwe's political and humanitarian crisis.
"I am asking the AU [African Union] and Sadc to lead an expanded initiative supported by the UN to manage what I will call a transitional process," he said.
The mediation process has so far been led by Sadc and South African President Thabo Mbeki - who was absent from the Swaziland summit.
Mr Tsvangirai said the AU role that he was proposing could not "be a continuation of talks and talks about talks that have been largely fruitless for several years.
"The time for actions is now. The people and the country can wait no longer. We need to show leadership."