HARARE (Reuters) - Britain has denied Zimbabwe's mines minister a visa for a mining investment conference in London, fuelling anger in President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party over Western sanctions on its officials.
Mugabe formed a unity government in February with arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, to try to end an economic and political crisis worsened by last year's disputed presidential poll.
Tsvangirai is in London as part of a Western tour to drum up financial support for Zimbabwe's new government.
But on Tuesday, a Harare government official said Britain had refused Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu a visa -- under European Union travel sanctions against Mugabe and his top associates.
The minister was due to address a London conference on mining investment opportunities in the mineral-rich country.
"The minister did not get a visa and in our view all this does not make sense except to confirm that some people in London are pursuing their fight against ZANU-PF," the official said.
"They are trying to undermine the inclusive government with this sort of attitude."
A representative of the Zimbabwean High Commission in London said Mpofu had been excluded because he was on the British government's banned list as a member of Mugabe's circle.
Denis Worrall, chairman of Omega Investment Mining Partners and one of the conference organisers, said Mpofu was absent because he had been denied a visa.
The British Foreign Office said it could not comment on individual visa applications, but it said Mpofu was subject to the EU travel ban.
"The EU measures allow exemptions to attend inter-governmental meetings for political dialogue which promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe," a Foreign Office statement said.
"Under this provision, the UK waived the travel ban for two ministers subject to EU measures and included in Prime Minister Tsvangirai's delegation -- Foreign Minister (Simbarashe) Mumbengegwi and Tourism Minister (Walter) Muzembi," it said.
Mpofu was not part of Tsvangirai's delegation, it said.
Some conference delegates criticised the decision, comparing it unfavourably with Britain's improved relations with Libya.
"Colonel (Muammar) Gaddafi has been rehabilitated. If he can be rehabilitated, who can't? Zimbabwe does not have a Lockerbie on its books," said Andrew Cranswick, CEO of African Consolidated Resources, a company with investments in Zimbabwe.
Africa Minister Mark Malloch-Brown said last week it was too early to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe but said there was room for flexibility in allowing ZANU-PF ministers to travel to Britain.
Britain pledged 5 million pounds to Zimbabwe on Monday but made clear more reforms were needed before it would start large-scale development aid to the shattered country.
(Reporting by Cris Chinaka in Harare, additional reporting by Luke Baker and Adrian Croft in London; Editing by Alison Williams)
