Britain denies 'Brown-plot letter' to oust Mugabe

4/18/2008 - 7:09:56 AM

Britain today denied claims by Zimbabwe’s government of a letter from British prime minister Gordon Brown that it said proved opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was plotting with the UK to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai condemned the allegations as “outrageous” as Mugabe’s government lashed out, claiming he was plotting an “illegal regime change” with former coloniser Britain’s help.

The accusations were published in Zimbabwe’s state-run newspaper, which cited a letter from Mr Brown, which the opposition said was a forgery.

The British Embassy in Harare also denied it, saying: “No such letter or wider correspondence exists.”

The accusation comes amid a government campaign of arrests, assaults and other intimidation designed to suppress political dissent following a March 29 vote that Mugabe is widely believed to have lost.

Results from the presidential vote have not been released some three weeks after the ballot.

Independent tallies suggest Mr Tsvangirai won, but not with enough votes to avoid a run-off. The electoral commission says it cannot yet release results of the presidential vote because it is still verifying ballots and investigating anomalies.

The opposition says Mr Tsvangirai won outright and accused Mugabe of engineering a delay to secure his 28-year grip on power.

Yesterday Mr Tsvangirai dismissed the government’s allegations as “outrageous” He said his Movement for Democratic Change party was formed with a commitment to “democratic change” in Zimbabwe, not a forceful overthrow of the Mugabe regime.

Speaking at his first major public appearance since the elections, Mugabe said Britain was plotting to recolonise the southern African nation.

He spoke to thousands of children gathered to celebrate on the eve of the country’s independence anniversary.

“We should not let these children down by dropping our guard against imperialism. British imperialism which is surreptitiously and clandestinely weaving its way, fighting its way into our society, trying to divide it ... to reimpose neocolonialist rule,” Mugabe told the children.

“But as long as we are alive, and as long as I am still able to breathe ... that shall never be. Never again shall this country be a British colony.”

Yesterday Mr Tsvangirai hardened his stance on Mugabe, saying that Zimbabwe’s president may be forced to face justice for alleged human rights abuses perpetrated during his years in power.

Since the vote, riot police and security forces have deployed across the country in a show of force. Rights groups have recorded scores of attacks and beatings on opposition supporters.

Mr Tsvangirai’s party has failed in attempts to force the release of presidential results through the courts and through appeals to regional leaders.

Legislative results released shortly after the vote handed control of the parliament to the opposition for the first time in Zimbabwe’s history. But a recount is planned tomorrow for 23 constituencies – nearly all won by the opposition – and if just a few of those wins are overturned, the ruling party could regain control of parliament.

Meanwhile, international calls strengthened for Zimbabwe to show it was adhering to democratic principles.

“We’re trying to convince all the partners and all the neighbours of Zimbabwe that the publication of results is the bare minimum. Election results must be published – it’s a must,” French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

At the United Nations on Wednesday, the US and Britain backed a suggestion from UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon to send UN observers to monitor any presidential run-off.

But The Herald quoted Zimbabwe’s UN ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku as saying that “for the UN to come ... it should first be invited”.

Zimbabwe refused to allow Western observers to monitor last month’s elections, inviting only “friendly” countries including a Southern African Development Community team led by a junior minister from Angola – a country that has not had elections since 1992.