Mugabe: talks with Blair 'more useful' than opposition

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe said on Monday it would be more useful to hold talks with Tony Blair than Zimbabwe's opposition because he said the British prime minister effectively controlled the opposition.

"The man who needs to be spoken to in order for him to see reason resides at No 10 Downing Street ... that's the man to speak to," Mugabe told thousands at a commemoration of the fighters in Zimbabwe's war of independence during the 1970s.

"Those in Harvest House, Harare, (opposition headquarters) are no more than his stooges and puppets. We would rather speak to the principal who manipulates the puppets," Mugabe said.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says talks with ZANU-PF would pave the way for Mugabe to retire and the formation of an interim coalition government that would prepare for elections monitored by the international community.

But efforts to restart talks between the ruling ZANU-PF and the MDC have floundered, deepening a political crisis.

ZANU-PF party could talk to the MDC if it dropped its support for sanctions imposed on his top leadership by some Western nations, Mugabe said.

MDC spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said the opposition would not beg for talks but economic crisis, shown in triple-digit inflation, unemployment of over 70 per cent and shortages of foreign currency could force Mugabe to negotiate.

"He will soon realise they cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand. Even civilised leaders eventually have dialogue with sections of its citizens who are disaffected," Themba-Nyathi told Reuters.

Last week Tsvangirai said he had no problem meeting Mugabe following the withdrawal of the remaining treason charges against him by the government.

Mugabe rebuffed the opposition leader who says the 81-year-old leader, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, robbed him of victory in a presidential election in 2002.

"But why does the MDC leader now want to break the boycott? No sir, I don't want to meet you," Mugabe said, drawing chuckles from the gathering some of whom held banners with defiant messages like "Talk to MDC? On what? About what?" and "We did not win elections to form coalition government."

The US, European Union and New Zealand have imposed targeted sanctions on Mugabe's top leadership for what they see as human rights abuses and rigging of past elections. Harare says sanctions mainly hurt the poor.

- REUTERS