ROBERT MUGABE told his ruling Zanu-PF party yesterday that his country was facing a war with Britain but he would never surrender, and "Zimbabwe is mine".
The Zimbabwe president's defiant comments came amid escalating pressure from London on Zimbabwe's neighbours to remove Mr Mugabe from office. British prime minister Gordon Brown urged southern African leaders yesterday to distance themselves from Mr Mugabe and described the situation in Zimbabwe as a tragedy.
"I will never, never, never, never surrender. Zimbabwe is mine," Mr Mugabe told the party's annual conference. "I won't be intimidated. Even if I am threatened with beheading, I believe this and nothing will ever move me from it: Zimbabwe belongs to us, not the British."
Hours earlier the state-run Herald newspaper reported Mugabe taunting other African leaders, saying they were under American pressure to force him from power but they lacked the courage to do it. "How could African leaders ever topple Robert Mugabe, organise an army to come? It is not easy," he told Zanu-PF's central committee. "I do not know of any African country that is brave enough to do that."
Mr Mugabe also sought to portray himself as seeking a political settlement, saying he had written to the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, inviting him to become prime minister in a powersharing government. But Mr Tsvangirai threatened to quit powersharing negotiations yesterday unless the authorities produce dozens of opposition activists who have been abducted and disappeared in recent weeks in what appears to be a renewed campaign of intimidation by Mr Mugabe.
Mr Tsvangirai also called for fresh elections if a coalition government was not put in place soon.
The missing include Jestina Mukoko, one of Zimbabwe's most prominent human rights activists, who was snatched from her home at night two weeks ago, as well as officials and activists from MDC. Mr Tsvangirai accuses Zanu-PF and the security forces of illegal abductions.
Ms Mukoko's disappearance has caused particular disquiet in Zimbabwe. The 51-year-old head of the Zimbabwe Peace Project was taken at 5am by men in plainclothes who would not give her time to dress. Two children were left in the house.
Ms Mukoko built a reputation for being thorough in her reports detailing the actions and impact of Mr Mugabe's regime, from its use of violence to terrorise voters to the impact of spreading starvation.
Mr Tsvangirai is in semi-exile in Botswana after the Zimbabwean government refused him a travel document.
The UN meanwhile said yesterday that the death toll from the country's cholera outbreak had risen to 1,123 out of nearly 21,000 reported cases. Some doctors say the real toll is probably much higher. The economic implosion continued as the central bank issued a 10 billion Zimbabwe dollar note today worth about €11. Its value is likely to be wiped out within days. - ( Guardianservice)