By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - The African Union on Monday joined achorus of international concern and dismay over the withdrawalof Zimbabwe's opposition from a presidential run-off because ofsevere pre-election violence.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday pulled out ofthe June 27 poll, saying supporters of his Movement forDemocratic Change (MDC) would risk their lives by votingbecause of brutal attacks by supporters of President RobertMugabe.
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.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Tsvangirai would lobbythe international community, particularly the African Union(AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) to putpressure on Mugabe to resolve an economic and political crisiswhich has sent millions of refugees fleeing into neighbouringcountries.
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.
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, the current SADCchairman, said on Sunday the run-off must be postponed "toavert a catastrophe in this region."
"EMBARRASSMENT"
He said the Zimbabwe situation was "of tremendousembarrassment to all of us."
Zambian Foreign Minister Kabinga Pande said a SADC securitytroika of Angola, Swaziland and Tanzania would propose the nextmove by the regional body.
"The troika...should be meeting or are meeting to advisethe next step," Pande told Reuters.
Troika foreign ministers last week asked their presidentsto take urgent action "to save Zimbabwe", saying a free andfair election was impossible.
The Angolan state news agency ANGOP said SADC foreignministers were expected to meet in Luanda on Monday to discussZimbabwe and regional security.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said it was still lookingforward to a credible electoral process on Friday.
"I don't believe that the level of violence in the countryis such that a credible election is impossible. We don't have awar. We will be able to hold credible elections," ZEC chairmanGeorge Chiweshe told African election monitors in Harare.
Former colonial power Britain urged tough internationalaction to end what it called Zimbabwe's tragedy and saidpressure from African leaders was vital.
"They now have to come out decisively and I think there's ahope they will," Africa Minister Mark Malloch-Brown said.
He said there were many more sanctions which could beimposed to step up pressure on Mugabe. Western countries haveimposed limited sanctions on Zimbabwe's leadership.
The former guerrilla commander has presided over a slideinto economic chaos, including 80 percent unemployment and theworld's highest inflation rate of at least 165,000 percent.
Mbeki, widely criticised for his quiet diplomacy onZimbabwe, said he would encourage Mugabe and Tsvangirai todiscuss the crisis.
"From our point of view it is still necessary that thepolitical leadership of Zimbabwe should get together and find asolution to the challenges," he said on Sunday.
But Malloch-Brown said: "I don't think President ThaboMbeki's approach is one that is at this point shared by allAfrican leaders".
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his governmentwas looking at ways to increase sanctions.
The MDC says violence by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and itsmilitia allies has killed 86 people and displaced 200,000.
Once Tsvangirai officially pulls out, 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.
(Additional reporting by Cris Chinaka in Harare, ShapiShacinda in Lusaka, Paul Simao in Johannesburg and Kate Kellandin London; Writing by Barry Moody)