ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's Catholic bishops yesterday called for an end to political violence in the run-up to next month's presidential elections.
"We strongly call upon our government to use the organs and institutions of the state to bring about true peace and harmony as we move towards the presidential and mayoral elections in March 2002," the nine bishops said in a pastoral letter published yesterday.
"We also call upon all parties to refrain from acts of intimidation, violence or any anti-social activities that diminish peace," the bishops said.
At least 19 people are reported to have been killed in politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe since December 24th as the country prepared for the crucially important presidential polls which are scheduled for March 9th-10th.
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims that more than 90 of its supporters have been killed since it came to prominence before parliamentary elections in June 2000.
Political violence has surged in the run-up to next month's election, in which President Robert Mugabe is seeking to extend his 22-year rule.
The bishops also urged the media to report events objectively to "facilitate national dialogue, tolerance, peace and unity". The bishops said political leaders must make "a positive contribution to peaceful free and fair elections by addressing themselves to the real issues of governance, land redistribution, high cost of living, unemployment, corruption, health delivery services, education and find proper ways to strengthen our economy".
The bishops have in the past year denounced lawlessness and the intimidation of journalists and judges.
Last year they issued one of their harshest criticism of Mr Mugabe's government during the land reform campaign which was often violent in nature.
Mr Mugabe is Jesuit-educated Catholic, and was married in the Catholic church.
Reuters reports
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe and the EU are locked in a diplomatic tussle over EU election observers after the state-controlled daily in Harare accused Europeans of arrogance and bullying.
A blistering editorial in the Herald said the government would never accredit the Swedish diplomat, Mr Pierre Schori, chosen to lead the 150-member EU election observer team.
EU ambassadors met in Brussels to decide whether the rebuff - sure to strengthen Zimbabwean opposition fears that the electoral process is being rigged - was serious enough to trigger the threatened imposition of selective sanctions.