Botswana says Mugabe should be forced out

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By Michael Georgy

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Botswana has urged Zimbabwe's neighbours to squeeze President Robert Mugabe out of power to end a political and economic crisis.

The call from Botswana's foreign minister came amid signs that Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC would again fail to end deadlock in talks on a power-sharing agreement seen as the best hope of rescuing Zimbabwe's ruined economy.

In the toughest language yet from a state in the region, Botswana's foreign minister, Phandu Skelemani, said the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) should confront Mugabe, in power since 1980.

Zimbabwe's economy is in virtual meltdown, with unemployment over 90 percent, inflation officially at 230 million percent, and cholera gaining ground.

Skelemani said Mugabe would not last if regional states closed their borders and completely isolated him.

"If no petrol went in for a week, he can't last," he told the BBC's HARDtalk program, broadcast Wednesday.

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said there was no progress in the talks but that the MDC was not withdrawing.

SADC failed to persuade Mugabe and the opposition to implement the outline power-sharing deal signed in September, which raised hopes that the hardships of millions would ease.

Tsvangirai said mediator Thabo Mbeki should recuse himself and that the MDC had written to the current SADC chairman, South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, to detail the "irretrievable state of our relationship with Mr Mbeki."

"MBEKI CANNOT CONTINUE"

"He is not serving to bring the parties together because he does not understand what needs to be done," said Tsvangirai.

"In addition, his partisan support of ZANU-PF, to the detriment of genuine dialogue, has made it impossible for the MDC to continue negotiating under his facilitation."

Negotiators from Mugabe's ZANU-PF, Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC and a breakaway MDC faction began meeting Tuesday with Mbeki to try to agree on a draft constitutional amendment.

This would allow a new government to be formed under the power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai as prime minister, but the parties are still arguing over wording and the allocation of ministries.

Skelemani expressed little confidence in mediation, saying SADC should "own up" and admit it had failed, and that it was time for strong action.

Botswana's president, Ian Khama, has emerged as one of Mugabe's harshest critics in Africa. Mugabe's government has accused Khama of interference and said his call for fresh elections was an "act of extreme provocation."

Zambia has also been highly critical of Mugabe.

Skelemani said Botswana would be willing to shelter Tsvangirai -- a position that is likely to anger Mugabe.

"Anybody who comes to Botswana saying that they fear for their life, from their own country, we would not chase them away because, if we did, what do we want to happen? For them to be killed first? And then do what?" Skelemani said.

Many in Zimbabwe hope a new government will somehow create jobs and put basic goods back on the shelves.

The United Nations said Tuesday that 366 people had now died of cholera out of 8,887 known cases since August.

South African Health Minister Barbara Hogan said the dangers of Zimbabweans with cholera crossing over the border would not prevent authorities from helping the sick and dying.

(Additional reporting by Paul Simao and Wendell Roelf in Johannesburg, and Cris Chinaka in Harare)

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