Tsvangirai ready to negotiate if violence stops

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean opposition leader MorganTsvangirai said on Monday he was ready to negotiate withPresident Robert Mugabe's ruling party after his withdrawalfrom a presidential election, but only if political violencestopped.

Amid mounting concern from within and outside Africa overthe violence, in which Tsvangirai says around 90 of hissupporters have died, the MDC leader told South Africa's Radio702:

"We are prepared to negotiate with ZANU-PF but of course itis important that certain principles are accepted before thenegotiations take place. One of the preconditions is that thisviolence against the people must be stopped."

Tsvangirai on Sunday pulled out of the June 27 poll, sayingsupporters of his Movement for Democratic Change would risktheir lives by voting because of brutal attacks by Mugabesupporters.

Mugabe, 84, who has been in power since independence fromBritain in 1980, has vowed never to hand over to theopposition, branding them puppets of the West. He denies hissupporters are responsible for the violence.

The MDC has appealed to the international community,particularly the African Union (AU) and Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC) to put pressure on Mugabe toresolve an economic and political crisis which has sentmillions of refugees fleeing into neighbouring countries.

Reaction was swift from Jean Ping, the AU's top diplomat.

"This development and the increasing acts of violence inthe run-up to the second round of the presidential election,are a matter of grave concern to the Commission of the AU," hesaid in a statement.

Ping said he had started consultations with AU chairmanJakaya Kikwete, the president of Tanzania, with SADC and withthat body's designated mediator in the crisis, South AfricanPresident Thabo Mbeki, to see what could be done.

Ping, the commission chairman, said Zimbabwe was at acritical point and called for restraint and an end to violence.

Angola's foreign ministry said on Monday SADC foreignministers were meeting in Luanda to discuss the Zimbabwe crisisand might issue a statement later in the day.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, the current SADCchairman, said on Sunday the run-off must be postponed "toavert a catastrophe in this region."

He said the Zimbabwe situation was "of tremendousembarrassment to all of us."

(Additional reporting by Cris Chinaka in Harare, ShapiShacinda in Lusaka, Paul Simao in Johannesburg and Kate Kellandin London; Writing by Barry Moody)