Opposition rejects Mugabe olive branch

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader MorganTsvangirai rejected an olive branch offered by President RobertMugabe on Sunday after a widely condemned election whichAfrican observers said was scarred by violence andintimidation.

Mugabe's spokesman said the president, the only candidate,had invited Tsvangirai to his inauguration after a "sweepingvictory" in Friday's poll, held in defiance of internationalopinion and dismissed as a sham around the world.

Tsvangirai rejected the invitation and said theinauguration was meaningless after an illegitimate poll. Hesaid he would ask the African Union not to recognise Mugabe'sre-election.

Mugabe spokesman George Charamba told Reuters theinvitation was "done in the spirit of the president's wish toreach out ... It is a major step towards political engagement."

The veteran Zimbabwean leader, 84, is under pressure fromwithin Africa to enter talks with Tsvangirai over the country'spolitical and economic crisis.

But Tsvangirai told Reuters: "Well, you know that the wholeinauguration is meaningless as far as I'm concerned, so I can'tgive support to an exercise I'm totally opposed to... the wholeworld has condemned it, the Zimbabwean people will not givethis exercise legitimacy and support."

He said the opposition was committed to AU-sponsored talkswith Mugabe's government although no negotiations had started.

Mugabe defied a chorus of calls to cancel the election andnegotiate with Tsvangirai, who defeated Mugabe and his ZANU-PFparty in a March 29 election but fell short of outrightvictory, forcing Friday's run-off.

Pan-African parliament observers, one of the few groupsable to monitor Friday's ballot, said the vote was so flawed itshould be rerun.

The government said Mugabe's swearing-in for a newfive-year term would be held at 3 p.m. (2:00 p.m. Britishtime).

The inauguration would allow Mugabe to extend his 28 yearsof unbroken rule before attending an AU summit in Egypt onMonday where he has vowed to confront his critics.

ONLY CANDIDATE

Mugabe was the only candidate after Movement for DemocraticChange leader Tsvangirai withdrew because of government-backedviolence which he said had killed nearly 90 of his supporters.

"These elections were not free and fair," said MarwickKhumalo, head of the Pan-African parliament observer team.

"Conditions should be put in place for the holding of free,fair and credible elections as soon as possible."

The United States plans to toughen sanctions on Zimbabweand push the U.N. Security Council to act but the AU isreluctant to back this kind of action, favouring a Kenya-stylepower-sharing transition.

The Egypt summit may be split between critics of Mugabe,like Kenya, and opponents of any action against him led bySouth African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been widelycriticised for taking a soft line with his neighbour.

Officials attending preparatory meetings for the Sharm el-Sheikh summit even suggested Zimbabwe may not be discussed atall, although that would provoke heavy Western criticism.

Tsvangirai was quoted on the website of London's Telegraphnewspaper as saying it was possible Mugabe would be allowed tostay on as a ceremonial president with him as executive primeminister of a power-sharing government.

Mugabe has presided over the economic collapse ofonce-prosperous Zimbabwe, now crippled by inflation estimatedto have hit at least 2 million percent.

Khumalo said monitors had recorded violence andintimidation across the country, abductions and assaults whichhad led to some deaths. The observers said turnout was lowalthough a "significant number" of people had voted forTsvangirai.

"An unusually high percentage of spoilt ballots wererecorded in the polling stations where our mission observed thecounting process. Unpalatable messages were written on many ofthese spoilt ballots," Khumalo said.

Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga was quoted as saying onSunday that the AU should deploy troops. "What is happening inZimbabwe is a shame and an embarrassment to Africa in the eyesof the international community and should be denounced."

Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu dismissed the election asa charade and called on the AU leaders to refuse to recogniseMugabe. "I think that would be a very, very powerful signal, hetold the BBC, calling for U.N. military intervention.

But AU security chief Ramtane Lamamra played down prospectsof sending peacekeepers.

(Additional reporting by Marius Bosch and PhakamisaNdzamela in Johannesburg; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing byStephen Weeks)

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