Africa summit seek Zimbabwe talks, shows solidarity

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - African leaders rallied around President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Thursday, ignoring calls for tougher action against him and suggesting dialogue as the solution to his country's deepening political crisis.

Mugabe has faced growing Western censure over the past two weeks after his police arrested political opponents who claimed they were severely beaten in custody, sparking calls for his neighbors to step up pressure on his regime.

But a special summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) urged the West to drop sanctions against Mugabe's government and appealed to Britain to "honor its commitments" to fund land reforms in its former colony.

Leaders at the meeting also put South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki in charge of defusing Zimbabwe's deepening political crisis, leaving him to mediate between Mugabe and his opponents.

Summit host Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said the regional grouping appealed to all sides in the dispute to "give this initiative a chance" and "exercise restraint and avoid anything that's going to inflame the situation".

"Excellent meeting," Mugabe said, clapping his hands as he left for the airport after the closed-door discussions.

Analysts say the veteran leader has been able to escape a public reprimand from his African peers by trading on his legacy as a leader of Africa's anti-colonial struggle.

The summit came two weeks after Zimbabwe police arrested opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) attempting to attend an anti-government prayer meeting.

That set off an international outcry. But, in contrast, African nations were muted in their criticism.

Mbeki's government, a regional powerhouse, has for long assumed a leading role in addressing Zimbabwe's troubles but been criticized for being ineffective.

Throughout the latest furor, Pretoria has insisted that the West's hardline approach is unnecessary.

The United States and the European Union have imposed "targeted" sanctions on Mugabe and his circle following a series of elections that the opposition says were rigged.

As the African leaders met, allegations of abuse by Mugabe's government grew.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said police were targeting ordinary Zimbabweans suspected of backing the opposition, doling out beatings to discourage the 83-year-old leader's opponents.

The United States, joining Britain and the European Union, condemned Zimbabwe police for briefly detaining opposition leaders on Wednesday for the second time in a month.

"Certainly we think it's time for the African states, specifically this group of neighboring states, to make clear that this kind of behavior from President Mugabe is unacceptable," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

"SOLIDARITY AGAINST THE BRITISH"

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba had earlier brushed aside the criticism and said Mugabe -- still revered by many as a hero of Africa's liberation struggle -- would be looking for regional support in the face of Western pressure.

"The president is here for two basic things -- to explain the situation on the ground and to get solidarity from SADC in his fight against the British," Charamba told reporters.

"He will continue to tell the West to go hang as long as those (Western) concerns undermine the sovereignty of the country," he said, referring to economic sanctions.

Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is accused by critics of political abuses and economic mismanagement.

In Harare, MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti appealed for support from SADC leaders.

"We are fighting against inflation, against homelessness. ... We hope that they will be strong against Mugabe and tell him he has had 27 years of uninterrupted, peaceful rule in Zimbabwe and should go now," he said.

Mugabe, who is thought to be running into opposition within his ZANU-PF party over plans to extend his rule, calls the MDC Western "stooges" and police have accused party activists of a terror campaign aimed at removing him from office. The MDC denies the charges.

Political analysts say Zimbabwe's political crisis and rapidly shrinking economy threaten to destabilize the region as millions flee inflation of 1,700 percent, food shortages and more than 80 percent unemployment.

(Additional reporting by George Obulutsa in Dar es Salaam, Cris Chinaka in Harare, Paul Simao in Johannesburg)