Tsvangirai says could leave Dutch embassy in days

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Tuesday that he could be ready to leave the Dutch embassy in the coming days after receiving assurances for his safety.

Tsvangirai took refuge in the embassy on Sunday night after pulling out of the June 27 election run-off against President Robert Mugabe, saying violence meant it could not be fair.

"The ambassador has talked to the government and has been assured that there is no threat (to me). So from today or tomorrow, I'll be able to make those arrangements," Tsvangirai told Dutch public broadcaster Radio 1.

When asked if that meant making plans to leave, Tsvangirai replied "Yes". But he gave no definite indication of when he would leave and expressed doubt over the guarantees for his safety.

"I hope that they mean what they say. This is a regime which is acting irrationally," he said.

Tsvangirai welcomed a U.N. Security Council statement that condemned violence against the opposition and said a fair run-off, still scheduled for Friday, was impossible.

"I think it's a very important resolution," Tsvangirai said.

"It recognizes the people who are accountable for the violence, and it squarely placed that responsibility at Mugabe's leadership ... I am sure that he can no longer remain defiant to that international position."

He repeated that he would not be participating in the election. "It's ridiculous to go into an election of that kind. It's a one-man competition," Tsvangirai said.

(Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger and Niclas Mika; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)