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Africans urge Zimbabwe poll delay Africans urge Zimbabwe poll delay
(20 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 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 President Robert Mugabe's honorary knighthood.
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 the two sides 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-long meeting in the Swazi capital, Mbabane, of the three countries from the regional Southern African Development Community (Sadc) responsible for overseeing peace and security in the region.
The statement follows an earlier appeal by Morgan Tsvangirai for African leaders to intervene and manage a transitional process in Zimbabwe. The statement follows an appeal by Mr Tsvangirai, who heads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), for African leaders to help resolve Zimbabwe's 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 at a news conference in Harare."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.
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. Dismissing Friday's planned election as pointless, he said Zimbabwe should work out a political settlement based on genuine and honest dialogue.
He also listed four key demands that he described as a way out of the crisis.He also listed four key demands that he described as a way out of the crisis.
  • 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
  • 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.He said the details of his proposals would need to be hammered out through negotiations.
Morgan Tsvangirai speaking at a news conference at his home in Harare
While campaigning on Tuesday, Mr Mugabe said his government was open to negotiations with "anyone" but only after the elections.
The government and Zimbabwe's election authority insist Friday's vote will go ahead because Mr Tsvangirai's withdrawal came too late to prevent his name appearing on the ballot paper and was therefore invalid.
Mr Mugabe officially came second to Mr Tsvangirai in the first round in March.
The governing Zanu-PF party, led by Mr Mugabe, also lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence in 1980.