Zimbabwe opposition offices raided

“A request was made yesterday by his party [the MDC] and Verhagen decided that if he sought safety, it would be granted.”

Rijs said he could not speculate why Tsvangirai chose the Dutch embassy.

But he noted that the Netherlands was a strong supporter of human-rights groups in Zimbabwe although it did not finance any political parties.

It was not clear how long Tsvangirai intended to remain in the embassy building.

Raid on offices

Tsvangirai entered the embassy shortly after a police raid on MDC headquarters.

More than 60 people were detained during the operation, including those said to have been victims of politically motivated violence, Nelson Chamisa, an MDC spokesman, said.

“At around 1pm (1100 GMT), riot police raided Harvest House [MDC headquarters],” Chamisa said.

“Over 60 people, mainly women and children, victims of political violence, were rounded up.”

Reacting to the developments, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said that the pre-election violence “reinforces … that it’s impossible for there to be a free, fair or peaceful election in Zimbabwe on June 27”.

“The Mugabe regime cannot be considered legitimate in the absence of a run-off,” she said in a statement.

Earlier, Britain accused Mugabe of using violence to remain president.

“A government which violates the constitution in Zimbabwe … cannot be held as the legitimate representative of the Zimbabwean people,” David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, said.

MDC poll boycott

Monday’s raid on the MDC headquarters, carried out by at least 10 officers in riot gear, came a day after Tsvangirai announced he would boycott a presidential run-off election against the incumbent Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai said he would not contest the June 27 presidential run-off vote hours after his party’s main campaign rally was stopped on Sunday.

Thousands of soldiers, police officers and loyalists of Mugabe’s Zanu-PF blockaded the site to prevent people from gathering for the rally.

“We can’t ask the people to cast their vote on June 27 when that vote will cost their lives. We will no longer participate in this violent sham of an election,” he said.

Terms for talks

Tsvangirai said that he is prepared to negotiate with the governing Zanu-PF if pre-election violence is halted.
  
“We are prepared to negotiate with Zanu-PF, but of course it is  important that certain principles must be accepted before the  negotiation takes place,” he said.
  
“For instance one of the pre-conditions is that the violence against the people must stop.”

The MDC says that at least 80 of its supporters have been killed by Zanu-PF supporters and 200,000 others have been displaced amid what it calls a campaign designed to intimidate people into voting for Mugabe.

Mugabe has denied accusations that his party is using violence to hold on to power. 

Southern African nations have called for the June 27 contest between Mugabe and Tsvangirai to be postponed.

“There is no need to be ashamed in announcing that the presidential run-off should be called off until further notice,” Levy Mwanawasa, the chair of the Southern African Development Community and Zambia’s president, said.

Mediation calls

According to Tsvangirai, mediation efforts by Southern African nations should be expanded to include leaders beyond Thabo Mbeki, the South African president.
  
“We believe this initiative has to be expanded to include other leaders,” he said.
  
“[Mbeki] should actually appeal for an expanded initiative that would include other leaders.”

Mbeki, given the role of SADC [Southern African Development Community] negotiator for Zimbabwe, has called for Mugabe and Tsvangirai to negotiate.

“I would hope that that leadership would still be open to a process which would result in them coming to some agreement about what happens to their country,” Mbeki was quoted by the SAPA news agency as saying.