Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, defiant despite heavy foreign condemnation of his re-election, said today the opposition must drop its claim to power and accept that he was the rightful head of state.
Mr Mugabe struck an intransigent stance when he returned home after an African Union summit this week which handed him an unprecedented rebuff, telling him to negotiate a national unity government with Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC opposition.
He told thousands of cheering supporters at the airport: "Tsvangirai and his group must disabuse themselves of their claim (to power)."
He added: "We are open to dialogue but reality is reality and it has to be accepted... I am the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe."
Mr Mugabe extended his 28-year rule in a June 27th election which Mr Tsvangirai boycotted, saying a violent, government-backed campaign made a fair vote impossible.
Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Friday a violent crackdown by security forces and pro-Mugabe militias had killed 103 of its followers while 1,500 had been detained.
Some 5,000 others, including polling agents, were missing after being abducted by ruling ZANU-PF militia or security agents since Mr Tsvangirai defeated Mr Mugabe in a first round of voting in March. As Mr Mugabe arrived home, neighbouring Botswana called on the Southern African Development Community, the regional body mediating in Zimbabwe, not to recognise Mugabe's re-election.
Botswana was one of the most outspoken critics of Mr Mugabe (84) at the summit.
But the veteran leader remained defiant despite unprecedented African criticism. In remarks apparently aimed at Botswana and Zambia, another regional critic, Mr Mugabe warned his neighbours not to pick a fight.
"If there are some who may want to fight us, they should think twice. We don't intend to fight any neighbours. We are a peaceful country, but if there is a ...neighbouring country that is itching for a fight, ah, then let them try it."
Mr Mugabe, in power since 1980, insisted that Zimbabwe's crisis, which has ruined the economy and sent millions of refugees into neighbouring states, must be settled internally.
"We are happy that the AU accepted the position that the Zimbabwean problem must be resolved by Zimbabweans through negotiations."
Mr Tsvangirai has rejected talks until violence ends. He says Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party must accept him as the rightful election winner, after a first round poll in March in which he defeated the veteran president.
Mr Tsvangirai's MDC said that not a single member of ZANU-PF had been arrested despite the murder of its supporters.
Those arrested, on charges of political violence, included 20 legislators or parliamentary candidates, the opposition said in a statement. Members of parliament had been held for "trumped up charges" of inciting violence.
"The regime cannot talk dialogue when it is acting war across the length and breadth of the country," the MDC said. Mr Mugabe said his land reform programme, under which thousands of mostly white-owned farms were seized and the land redistributed, was irreversible and sanctions against Zimbabwe must be lifted. Critics say the programme caused the collapse of Zimbabwe's once-prosperous economy.
Mr Mugabe blames Western sanctions. Botswana noted that Mugabe had ignored appeals from SADC and the U.N. Security Council to call off the election.
"As a country that practises democracy and the rule of law, Botswana does not ... recognise the outcome of the presidential run-off election and would expect other SADC member states to do the same," Botswana's Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said in a statement.
Mugabe said he wanted South African President Thabo Mbeki to continue mediating in the Zimbabwe crisis, as he has done as the official SADC mediator since last year.
"We are happy that President Mbeki continues to be the facilitator. We have said that the facilitator did nothing wrong," Mr Mugabe said.
Mr Mbeki has been widely criticised, including inside South Africa itself, for what is seen as ineffective mediation that favours Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai says he is not satisfied with Mr Mbeki and has called for an AU envoy to lead expanded mediation.
South Africa's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad, told journalists today Pretoria hoped Mr Mugabe and the opposition were seriously preparing for negotiations on a unity government "despite what they are saying in public."
He said violence must stop to allowe dialogue to start.
Commenting on a US push to impose tough United Nations sanctions on Mr Mugabe, Mr Pahad said the AU resolution was the only way forward and other moves were unhelpful.
The European Union called today for Zimbabwe to hold a new election as soon as possible.