Pressure mounts on Mugabe

Southern African leaders are set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.The meeting, in Swaziland's capital Mbabane, has been called by the leading regional body, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), amid mounting international pressure on President Robert Mugabe to resolve his country's political turmoil and economic meltdown.Earlier, Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has pulled out of the presidential election run-off, urged the United Nations to isolate Robert Mugabe and said a peacekeeping force was needed in Zimbabwe.Mr Mugabe has shrugged off Monday's unprecedented and unanimous decision by the UN Security Council to condemn violence against the opposition and declare that a free and fair presidential election on Friday was impossible.As the British Government seeks to further isolate Mr Mugabe's regime, moves are under way to bar Zimbabwe's cricket team from playing in England.It is understood that the England and Wales Cricket Board will be told the Zimbabwe team should not be allowed to play in a series of one-day internationals scheduled for next summer or fixtures in the Twenty20 World Cup held in the UK.And culture secretary Andy Burnham will urge the Board to take a tough stance when the International Cricket Council meets on July 2 to decide whether Zimbabwe should face a global ban.It is believed he will warn the Government is ready to use immigration powers to bar the Zimbabwean cricketers from entry to the UK if their planned visit is not called off."Under the current circumstances it is the Government's view that the tour would clearly be unwelcome," Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said on Tuesday.Meanwhile, reports suggest that British-based mining giant Anglo-American is to invest £200 million to build a platinum mine at Unki in central Zimbabwe, in what could be the largest foreign investment in the country to date.A spokesman said: "We are developing the Unki platinum project because we have responsibility to our employees, contractors and the local community. We are keeping the situation in Zimbabwe under close watch."Britain this week said it could put pressure on companies doing business in the country to withdraw.MDC politicians have condemned the Anglo-American investment which they said gave a "lifeline" to the Mugabe regime.Mr Tsvangirai, who has taken refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare since Sunday, said Zimbabwe will "break" if the world does not come to its aid.Pressure has increased on Mugabe from both inside and outside Africa over Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis, blamed by the West and the opposition on the 84-year-old president who has held power for 28 years.The United States has urged SADC to declare both the election and Mugabe's government illegitimate.

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ITN | June 25, 2008

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