By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on Friday ahead of aregional summit on Zimbabwe for President Robert Mugabe torelease results from an election almost two weeks ago which theopposition says ended his 28-year rule.
Leaders from the 14-nation SADC (Southern AfricanDevelopment Community) will meet in Lusaka on Saturday amidincreasing concern and impatience over the long delay.
Human rights organisations and the opposition Movement forDemocratic Change say Mugabe has unleashed a campaign ofsystematic violence in response to his biggest defeat.
Mugabe's ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament for thefirst time and the MDC says its leader Morgan Tsvangirai alsowon a parallel presidential vote, whose results have not beenannounced.
An opposition source said Tsvangirai met President ThaboMbeki of Zimbabwe's powerful neighbour South Africa on Thursdayto discuss the crisis. No details were revealed.
Tsvangirai earlier met ruling African National Congressleader Jacob Zuma, who rivals Mbeki as South Africa's mostpowerful man.
Zuma, abandoning some of Mbeki's trademark "quietdiplomacy" called for the results to be released.
"We urge all parties to respect the will of the people,regardless of the outcome," Zuma said in a speech on Thursday.
"COORDINATED RETRIBUTION"
Amnesty International said in a statement there werewidespread incidents of post-election violence in Zimbabwe"suggesting the existence of coordinated retribution againstknown and suspected opposition supporters".
Amnesty called on SADC leaders to redouble efforts to avoidfurther deterioration of the human rights situation and urgethe Zimbabwean Electoral Commission to release the results.
Human Rights Watch said the Lusaka meeting was SADC's "lastreal chance" to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, whose economyis in ruins.
A quarter of the population have fled to escapehyper-inflation of more than 100,000 percent, chronic shortagesof food and fuel and 80 percent unemployment.
The U.S. based body also accused ZANU-PF of increasingassaults on opposition activists and polling agents.
Prospects of any result from the SADC summit are unclear.Critics say the body is a toothless talking shop, too in awe ofliberation hero Mugabe to take firm action.
Mbeki, much criticised at home for not taking a strongerline, led failed SADC mediation last year. The crisis hasflooded his country with Zimbabwean immigrants, raisingxenophobic hostility towards them in South Africa.
But neither Mugabe, known for his uncompromising style, northe electoral authorities seem ready to buckle. The electoralcommission indicated late on Thursday that the results wouldhave to await the outcome of an opposition legal case.
A High Court judge has promised a verdict by Monday on anMDC application to force release of the result.
Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe of a de facto coup tooverturn the election result and called on African nations andWestern powers to force him to step down, ending hisuninterrupted rule since independence from Britain in 1980.
Even though the results remain officially unknown, JusticeMinister Patrick Chinamasa said ZANU-PF was preparing for aMugabe-Tsvangirai runoff -- necessary if neither won more than50 percent of the first round vote.
Analysts say in a free runoff Tsvangirai, likely backed bythird candidate and ruling party defector Simba Makoni and abreakaway MDC faction, would humiliate Mugabe.
But they believe the veteran leader plans to use hispowerful security forces and irregular militias, includingindependence war veterans, to ensure a second round victory.
(Additional reporting by Cris Chinaka, Stella Mapenzauswa,Nelson Banya, Muchena Zigomo and Paul Simao; writing by BarryMoody; editing by Matthew Tostevin)
