ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe said yesterday it would not accredit the Swedish head of a European Union observer team who arrived, despite a ban on observers from Sweden overseeing March elections, state television reported.
"Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Stan Mudenge, said the Swedish ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Pierre Schori, who is in the country as the head of the EU delegation, is a tourist visiting the country," the television said.
Human rights groups have warned of a "climate of fear and terror" in the run-up to the presidential elections on March 9th and 10th, when President Robert Mugabe is expected to face the biggest challenge to his 22 years in power.
Mr Mugabe has allowed European Union officials to monitor the poll but objected to representatives from six EU states, including Sweden and Britain.