Bush criticizes Zimbabwe regime

PRESIDENT George W Bush criticised Zimbabwe’s bad governance yesterday, hours after President Robert Mugabe’s government taunted him for a climbdown from his hardline policy towards Harare.

Bush said after meeting Botswana's President Festus Mogae he would continue to speak out for democracy in Zimbabwe, which is gripped by a lingering political and social crisis.

"We expect there to be democracy in Zimbabwe, in order for the people of that country to advance", Bush said in the capital of Botswana, a country viewed by Washington as a rare African example of good governance.