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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 governments of Swaziland, Tanzania and Angola said 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 earlier urged intervention by the African Union and southern African states to end the 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.
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.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 actionTime for action
The summit of southern African leaders urged both sides to use the interval to hold talks aimed at finding a compromise.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 knighthoodThe 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. The statement follows an earlier appeal by Morgan Tsvangirai for African leaders to intervene and manage a transitional process in Zimbabwe.
"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. "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 at a news conference in Harare.
The mediation process has so far been led by Sadc and South African President Thabo Mbeki - who was absent from the Swaziland summit. Dismissing Friday's planned election as an exercise in futility, he said Zimbabwe should work out a political settlement based on genuine and honest dialogue.
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. He also listed four key demands that he described as a way out of the crisis.
"The time for actions is now. The people and the country can wait no longer. We need to show leadership."
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  • Violence must stop immediately - so-called war veterans and youth militias should return home and checkpoints be removed
  • Humanitarian assistance must be allowed into the country
  • All members of parliament elected on 29 March must be sworn in
  • All political prisoners, including the MDC secretary general, must be released immediately
He said the details of his proposals would need to be hammered out through negotiations.