By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's MDC leader Morgan Tsvangiraiwill urge Africa this week to pile pressure on President RobertMugabe to solve the country's political crisis after theopposition pulled out of a presidential run-off vote.
Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27 election saying hisMovement for Democratic Change supporters would be riskingtheir lives it they cast their votes.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Tsvangirai would lobbythe international community and African countries to putpressure on Mugabe to settle the crisis.
"Over the next two days, the (MDC) president will beexplaining our decision to the world, lobbying theinternational community, but mainly SADC and the African Union,to put pressure on the Mugabe regime to resolve the crisis weare facing," Chamisa said, referring to the regional groupingthe Southern African Development Community.
"We need this regime to respect democracy and the will ofthe people," he added.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged the UnitedNations to hold a "full discussion" on the issue at Monday'sSecurity Council session.
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Monday hesympathised with Tsvangirai's decision and his government addedit was looking to increase sanctions against Zimbabwe.
"We are looking at whether we can enhance any of those andwhether there are sanctions that we can bring to bear in otherareas," Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told Australian radio,referring to financial restrictions and visa bans for Mugabeand his associates.
Tsvangirai said there was a state-sponsored plot to keepMugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980,in power.
"We in the MDC cannot ask them (the voters) to cast theirvote on June 27, when that vote could cost them their lives."
There was no immediate reaction from Mugabe who in the pasthas blamed election violence on the opposition but JusticeMinister Patrick Chinamasa said Tsvangirai had simply quit therace because he knew he would lose.
There has been growing condemnation from African countriesover Zimbabwe's political crisis and the violence which the MDCsays has left 86 people dead and displaced 200,000.
"TYRANNICAL RULE"
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, the current SADCchairman, said it was not possible to hold a free and fairelection in Zimbabwe and the run-off should be postponed "toavert a catastrophe in this region."
Tsvangirai called on the U.N. and the African Union tointervene to stop "genocide" in the former British colony.
In Washington, a White House spokesman said Mugabe'sgovernment must stop the violence immediately while Britainsaid the people had deserted Mugabe.
Thabo Mbeki, president of leading regional power SouthAfrica, said he would encourage Mugabe and Tsvangirai todiscuss the political crisis.
"From our point of view it is still necessary that thepolitical leadership of Zimbabwe should get together and find asolution to the challenges that face Zimbabwe," said Mbeki, whois mandated by SADC to mediate between the MDC and ZANU-PF.
Tsvangirai has been detained by police five times whilecampaigning.
The opposition party said army helicopters were patrollingover Harare and Bulawayo, the second city, and that Zimbabwewas effectively under military rule.
More than 2,000 youth members of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PAFparty were on the rampage, attacking citizens in centralHarare, the MDC said.
Mugabe has vowed never to turn over power to theopposition, which he brands a puppet of Britain and the UnitedStates. He has in the past denied that his security forces havebeen responsible for brutal actions.
Once Tsvangirai officially pull outs, Mugabe would then besworn in for another five-year term. But he could facedifficulties governing as the MDC won control of the parliamentin a March election.
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in a March 29 vote but failed to winthe absolute majority needed to avoid a second ballot.
Mugabe has presided over a ruinous slide in a onceprosperous economy. Millions have fled the political andeconomic crisis to neighbouring states.
(Additional reporting by Cris Chinaka; Writing by MariusBosch)
