Zimbabwe vote cannot be fair-regional ministers
* Regional ministers say election unlikely to be free
* Mbeki urges Mugabe to cancel run-off vote
* MDC goes to court to appeal media ban
By Cris Chinaka
HARARE, June 19 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election next week is very unlikely to be free and fair, a group of southern African ministers said on Thursday, in the strongest regional condemnation yet of pre-poll violence.
"There is every sign that these elections will never be free nor fair," Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told a news conference. He was speaking on behalf of a peace and security troika of nations from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Tanzania is also current chairman of the African Union.
Membe said he and the foreign ministers of Swaziland and Angola would write to their presidents "so that they do something urgently so that we can save Zimbabwe."
SADC is sending monitors to Zimbabwe for the June 27 vote.
Membe said their judgement on the conduct of the poll was based on evidence from 211 observers already inside the country.
Some of the observers saw two people shot dead in front of them on June 17, Membe said.
President Robert Mugabe is accused by opponents, Western countries and human rights groups of orchestrating a campaign of killings and intimidation to keep his 28-year hold on power in the once prosperous country, its economy now in ruins.
Mugabe lost the first round vote to Morgan Tsvangirai on March 29, but the opposition leader fell short of the outright majority needed to avoid a second round, according to official results.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has urged Mugabe to cancel the run-off and negotiate a deal with the opposition, South Africa's Business Day newspaper said on Thursday.
CRISIS
Mbeki met Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately in Zimbabwe on Wednesday to try to mediate an end to an increasingly violent crisis.
Business Day, a respected financial daily, quoted unnamed sources as saying that Mbeki tried to set up a meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai -- their first ever -- but did not receive a firm commitment from Zimbabwe's president.
It said Mbeki attempted to convince Mugabe and Tsvangirai to form a government of national unity.
Mbeki made no comment to reporters after the talks.
Business Day said that Movement for Democratic Change leader Tsvangirai agreed to meet Mugabe and told Mbeki that any run-off would be a farce.
The MDC said on Thursday it had launched an urgent court application to appeal against a state ban on media cover of its campaign. Spokesman George Sibotshiwe said the party had been told by the Zimbabwe Broadcast Corp. and Zimpapers that the state media organisations had been instructed not to accept opposition campaign advertisements or report on the party's campaign.
There was no immediate comment from ZBC or the Zimbabwe Newspapers group.
Mbeki, who has led SADC mediation efforts in Zimbabwe, has been criticised for a quiet diplomatic approach that has failed to end a political and economic crisis driving millions of people into neighbouring states.
The Tanzanian statement on Thursday indicated increasing impatience in the rest of SADC and a willingness to abandon the discreet stance of the past.
Mugabe blames his foes for the violence and has threatened to arrest opposition leaders over the troubles. Tsvangirai's party says at least 66 people have been killed by ZANU-PF supporters.
The United States and former colonial power Britain also accuse Mugabe of trying to intimidate opponents. (Writing By Marius Bosch and Barry Moody; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
* Mbeki urges Mugabe to cancel run-off vote
* MDC goes to court to appeal media ban
By Cris Chinaka
HARARE, June 19 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election next week is very unlikely to be free and fair, a group of southern African ministers said on Thursday, in the strongest regional condemnation yet of pre-poll violence.
"There is every sign that these elections will never be free nor fair," Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told a news conference. He was speaking on behalf of a peace and security troika of nations from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Tanzania is also current chairman of the African Union.
Membe said he and the foreign ministers of Swaziland and Angola would write to their presidents "so that they do something urgently so that we can save Zimbabwe."
SADC is sending monitors to Zimbabwe for the June 27 vote.
Membe said their judgement on the conduct of the poll was based on evidence from 211 observers already inside the country.
Some of the observers saw two people shot dead in front of them on June 17, Membe said.
President Robert Mugabe is accused by opponents, Western countries and human rights groups of orchestrating a campaign of killings and intimidation to keep his 28-year hold on power in the once prosperous country, its economy now in ruins.
Mugabe lost the first round vote to Morgan Tsvangirai on March 29, but the opposition leader fell short of the outright majority needed to avoid a second round, according to official results.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has urged Mugabe to cancel the run-off and negotiate a deal with the opposition, South Africa's Business Day newspaper said on Thursday.
CRISIS
Mbeki met Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately in Zimbabwe on Wednesday to try to mediate an end to an increasingly violent crisis.
Business Day, a respected financial daily, quoted unnamed sources as saying that Mbeki tried to set up a meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai -- their first ever -- but did not receive a firm commitment from Zimbabwe's president.
It said Mbeki attempted to convince Mugabe and Tsvangirai to form a government of national unity.
Mbeki made no comment to reporters after the talks.
Business Day said that Movement for Democratic Change leader Tsvangirai agreed to meet Mugabe and told Mbeki that any run-off would be a farce.
The MDC said on Thursday it had launched an urgent court application to appeal against a state ban on media cover of its campaign. Spokesman George Sibotshiwe said the party had been told by the Zimbabwe Broadcast Corp. and Zimpapers that the state media organisations had been instructed not to accept opposition campaign advertisements or report on the party's campaign.
There was no immediate comment from ZBC or the Zimbabwe Newspapers group.
Mbeki, who has led SADC mediation efforts in Zimbabwe, has been criticised for a quiet diplomatic approach that has failed to end a political and economic crisis driving millions of people into neighbouring states.
The Tanzanian statement on Thursday indicated increasing impatience in the rest of SADC and a willingness to abandon the discreet stance of the past.
Mugabe blames his foes for the violence and has threatened to arrest opposition leaders over the troubles. Tsvangirai's party says at least 66 people have been killed by ZANU-PF supporters.
The United States and former colonial power Britain also accuse Mugabe of trying to intimidate opponents. (Writing By Marius Bosch and Barry Moody; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
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