By MacDonald Dzirutwe
HARARE (Reuters) - South African ruling party leader JacobZuma called on Tuesday for African action to resolve Zimbabwe'scrisis, amid signs of increasing regional impatience withPresident Robert Mugabe.
Maritime southern African states refused to allow a Chineseship carrying arms to landlocked Zimbabwe to unload, inunprecedented action towards Mugabe by long-passive neighbours,including traditional allies.
The action indicated a tougher response by the region,which has been criticised, particularly by the United States,for not doing more to end a three-week delay in issuing resultsfrom a presidential election on March 29.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he won the voteand Mugabe's 28-year rule is over.
In his toughest comments yet, African National Congressleader Zuma said in a Reuters interview in Berlin:
"It's not acceptable. It's not helping the Zimbabweanpeople who have gone out to ... elect the kind of party andpresidential candidate they want, exercising theirconstitutional right."
Zuma, who has distanced himself from the "quiet diplomacy"of South African President Thabo Mbeki over Zimbabwe, added: "Iimagine that the leaders in Africa should really move in tounlock this logjam.
"Concretely this means African countries should identifysome people to go in there, probably talk to both parties, callthem and ask them what the problem is, as well as the electoralcommission".
Zuma toppled Mbeki as ANC leader last December and hasgradually increased his power at the expense of the president.Analysts say he has seized on Zimbabwe as a golden opportunityto improve his international image and influence.
His comments were one factor helping to lift the randcurrency to a seven-week high against the dollar. Traderswelcomed Zuma's readiness to take a lead on Zimbabwe afterconcern the crisis would hit Africa's biggest economy.
Zimbabwe has postponed an annual summit of Africa's largesttrading bloc which it was scheduled to host next month becauseof the election impasse, state television reported.
The 19-nation Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa(COMESA), chaired by Zimbabwe, was scheduled to hold a two-weeksummit from May 1-15.
HONOURABLE EXIT
Tsvangirai called for African leaders to acknowledge thathe won the vote, saying Mugabe would be allowed an honourableexit.
Africa's reputation would suffer "serious disrepute" ifMugabe stayed in power, Tsvangirai said in Accra.
The United States said it was pleased by China's statementthat it may have to bring its vessel carrying a shipment ofweapons for Zimbabwe home after being unable to unload insouthern African ports.
Washington had discouraged Beijing from sending arms toZimbabwe and asked neighbouring states not to let it dock.
Human Rights Watch urged the Chinese government toimmediately recall the weapons.responsible power'," saidSophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at the group. "Thismeans it has no business shipping arms to an abusive governmentin the middle of a brutal and violent crackdown."
Zambia, which has been one of the more critical countriesin the region over a crisis that has wrecked Zimbabwe'seconomy, urged neighbouring states to bar the ship fromentering their waters, saying the weapons could deepen theelection crisis.
Zambia is chair of the regional group SADC (SouthernAfrican Development Community).
The Chinese ship was unable to unload in its originaldestination of Durban on the Indian Ocean coast after tradeunions -- which are allies of Zuma -- refused to handle thecargo, saying the weapons could be used against the opposition.
After it left South Africa, both Mozambique and Angola saidit was not welcome.
The MDC deprived Mugabe's ZANU-PF party of its majority inparliament in a parallel vote on March 29 but there has alsobeen a delay to a partial recount of votes from that poll.
The recount could overturn the MDC victory. The oppositionand Western governments say it is merely another ploy by Mugabeto steal back the election.
(Writing by Barry Moody; Additional reporting by KerstinGehmlich and Kathrin Schich in Berlin, Caroline Drees and PaulSimao in Johannesburg, Daniel Flynn in Accra, editing by MaryGabriel)