Zambia denies President Mwanawasa is dead

By Shapi Shacinda

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia's information minister told the nation on Thursday President Levy Mwanawasa was in stable condition in hospital, dismissing media reports that he had died.

"These are false and malicious rumors. There is no truth in it. We are confident that with the support the president is receiving from doctors all will be well," Information Minister Mike Mulongoti said in an address on state television.

Mwanawasa, 59, an outspoken critic of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was rushed to hospital on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after suffering a stroke just before an African Union summit. He was later transferred to Paris for treatment.

South Africa's Talk Radio 702 reported on Thursday that Mwanawasa had died, quoting a Zambian High Commission spokesman.

South Africa's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying there was a misunderstanding after President Thabo Mbeki said he had been informed by the executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that Mwanawasa was dead.

Mbeki had called for a minute's silence while attending a remembrance ceremony in Pretoria for victims of a recent wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

"The doctors attending to (Mwanawasa) are happy with progress he has made so far and his condition remains stable. He has continued to receive treatment for hypertension in the intensive care unit and there are no new developments," Zambian Vice President Rupiah Banda said in a statement.

The Zambian leader is a favorite of the International Monetary Fund and other Western donors, who extended billions of dollars in debt relief after he cracked down on government spending and launched an anti-graft drive.

Mwanawasa also chairs SADC, which has been mediating between Mugabe and the opposition to try to end a political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

His illness sidelined one of Mugabe's chief regional critics during an African Union summit at which the veteran Zimbabwean leader suffered unprecedented condemnation from some of his peers, including another neighbor, Botswana.

Zimbabwe's neighbors have been flooded with refugees after the once prosperous nation suffered economic collapse.

Mwanawasa suffered a mild stroke in 2006 but said before being re-elected that year that he was fit to stand for office.

(Additional reporting by Marius Bosch in Johannesburg, Paul Simao in Pretoria, editing by Michael Georgy and Mary Gabriel)