By MacDonald Dzirutwe
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe,defiant despite heavy foreign condemnation of his re-election,said on Friday the opposition must drop its claim to power andaccept that he was the rightful head of state.
Mugabe struck an intransigent stance when he returned homeafter an African Union summit this week which handed him anunprecedented rebuff, telling him to negotiate a national unitygovernment with Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC opposition.
He told thousands of cheering supporters at the airport:"Tsvangirai and his group must disabuse themselves of theirclaim (to power)."
He added: "We are open to dialogue but reality is realityand it has to be accepted... I am the President of the Republicof Zimbabwe."
Mugabe extended his 28-year rule in a June 27 electionwhich Tsvangirai boycotted, saying a violent, government-backedcampaign made a fair vote impossible.
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said onFriday a violent crackdown by security forces and pro-Mugabemilitias had killed 103 of its followers while 1,500 had beendetained.
Some 5,000 others, including polling agents, were missingafter being abducted by ruling ZANU-PF militia or securityagents since Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in a first round ofvoting in March.
As Mugabe arrived home, neighbouring Botswana called on theSouthern African Development Community, the regional bodymediating in Zimbabwe, not to recognise Mugabe's re-election.
Botswana was one of the most outspoken critics of Mugabe,84, at the summit.
DEFIANT
But the veteran leader remained defiant despiteunprecedented African criticism.
In remarks apparently aimed at Botswana and Zambia, anotherregional critic, Mugabe warned his neighbours not to pick afight.
"If there are some who may want to fight us, they shouldthink twice. We don't intend to fight any neighbours. We are apeaceful country, but if there is a ...neighbouring countrythat is itching for a fight, ah, then let them try it."
Mugabe, in power since 1980, insisted that Zimbabwe'scrisis, which has ruined the economy and sent millions ofrefugees into neighbouring states, must be settled internally.
"We are happy that the AU accepted the position that theZimbabwean problem must be resolved by Zimbabweans throughnegotiations."
Tsvangirai has rejected talks until violence ends. He saysMugabe's ZANU-PF party must accept him as the rightful electionwinner, after a first round poll in March in which he defeatedthe veteran president.
Tsvangirai's MDC said that not a single member of ZANU-PFhad been arrested despite the murder of its supporters.
Those arrested, on charges of political violence, included20 legislators or parliamentary candidates, the opposition saidin a statement. Members of parliament had been held for"trumped up charges" of inciting violence.
"The regime cannot talk dialogue when it is acting waracross the length and breadth of the country," the MDC said.
Mugabe said his land reform programme, under whichthousands of mostly white-owned farms were seized and the landredistributed, was irreversible and sanctions against Zimbabwemust be lifted.
Critics say the programme caused the collapse of Zimbabwe'sonce-prosperous economy. Mugabe blames Western sanctions.
Botswana noted that Mugabe had ignored appeals from SADCand the U.N. Security Council to call off the election.
"As a country that practises democracy and the rule of law,Botswana does not ... recognise the outcome of the presidentialrun-off election and would expect other SADC member states todo the same," Botswana's Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani saidin a statement.
Mugabe said he wanted South African President Thabo Mbekito continue mediating in the Zimbabwe crisis, as he has done asthe official SADC mediator since last year.
"We are happy that President Mbeki continues to be thefacilitator. We have said that the facilitator did nothingwrong," Mugabe said.
Mbeki has been widely criticised, including inside SouthAfrica itself, for what is seen as ineffective mediation thatfavours Mugabe. Tsvangirai says he is not satisfied with Mbekiand has called for an AU envoy to lead expanded mediation.
South Africa's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad,told journalists on Friday Pretoria hoped Mugabe and theopposition were seriously preparing for negotiations on a unitygovernment "despite what they are saying in public."
He said violence must stop to allow dialogue to start.
Commenting on a U.S. push to impose tough United Nationssanctions on Mugabe, Pahad said the AU resolution was the onlyway forward and other moves were unhelpful.
The European Union called on Friday for Zimbabwe to hold anew election as soon as possible.
(Additional reporting by Nelson Banya and Cris Chinaka inHarare, Paul Simao, Gordon Bell and Marius Bosch inJohannesburg; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
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