Botswana to boycott regional summit over Mugabe

HARARE (Reuters) - Botswana's president will boycott a weekend summit of southern African leaders because the country does not recognize Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's re-election, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

President Seretse Khama Ian Khama's decision not to attend the summit in South Africa underlines growing pressure from regional leaders on Mugabe and Zimbabwe's opposition to agree on sharing power to end post-election turmoil.

Power-sharing negotiations began last month after Mugabe's unopposed re-election in June, which was condemned around the world and boycotted by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai because of attacks on his supporters.

Three days of marathon meetings in Harare this week failed to reach an overall deal.

Botswana's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Zimbabwe's current government should not be represented at a political level of the 14-member Southern African Development Community.

"Botswana does not accept the result of the June 27 run-off election in Zimbabwe as it violated the core principles of SADC, the African Union and the United Nations," the statement said.

Botswana has taken the toughest stand among Zimbabwe's neighbors but all fear the consequences if its worsening economic decline leads to total meltdown. Millions of Zimbabweans have already fled across its borders.

SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomao said he respected Botswana's decision but added the group could still make binding decisions with the 13 participating heads-of-state.

"According to our rules, for a meeting to proceed, we need two-thirds (of members)," he told reporters.

Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition will resume power-sharing talks at the summit, ZANU-PF's chief negotiator, Patrick Chinamasa, was quoted as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.

MBEKI MEETINGS

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating the talks, was to meet the three main participants late on Friday.

"There is a meeting with President Mugabe, thereafter Arthur Mutambara, thereafter Morgan Tsvangirai," Mbeki's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said. "They are in progress. He is meeting with them one by one."

Mutambara leads a breakaway faction of the MDC.

Tsvangirai was to address a meeting of the SADC organ on politics, defence and security -- consisting of Angola, Tanzania and Swaziland -- on Friday.

Nic Borain, political consultant to HSBC Securities, said behind-the-scenes maneuvering may be the biggest obstacle.

"You have Tsvangirai's backers who are playing hardball and insisting on the virtual disappearance of Robert Mugabe, and you've got Robert Mugabe's backers insisting he remains, maintains some kind of executive powers," he said.

Chinamasa said there was pressure to convene parliament and form a government. ZANU-PF lost its parliamentary majority in the elections for the first time since independence but is eyeing a possible alliance with opposition defectors.

The MDC condemned what it called "corrosive" attempts by ministers and intelligence agents to recruit some of its members to join Mugabe's government. "

Tsvangirai's absence from a new government would do nothing to dispel investors' concerns about a country facing economic ruin, with the world's highest inflation of 2.2 million percent, chronic food and fuel shortages, and high unemployment.

Chances for a breakthrough in the negotiations may depend on whether regional leaders can present a united front when trying to persuade all of Zimbabwe's parties to bury their differences.

"This is a hot issue ... which calls for Zimbabweans themselves to be more committed, but discussions are going very well and we expect good results from the SADC meeting," Mozambique Deputy Foreign Minister Henrique Banze told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Phakamisa Ndzamela in Johannesburg; Charles Mangwiro in Maputo; Writing by Michael Georgy and Gordon Bell; Editing by Marius Bosch and Mary Gabriel)