Angola urges end to Zimbabwe poll violence

Angola's veteran leader has added his weight to appeals to Zimbabwe's government to end the political violence and intimidation that is threatening the legitimacy of its June 27 presidential run-off election.

President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, an old ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, sent a message urging him to "embrace a spirit of tolerance", Angola's state-run ANGOP news agency said late on Friday.

The new appeal came amid signs of growing African discontent over bloodshed that has escalated since Zimbabwe's March 29 general election.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change says at least 70 of its members have been killed since that vote, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is considering pulling out of the run-off for president, a spokesman said.

"President Jose Eduardo dos Santos urged Zimbabwe's leader to embrace a spirit of tolerance and respect for democratic norms while at the same time appealing for an end to all acts of intimidation and violence occurring in that country," ANGOP said.

A number of African nations, the United States and former colonial power Britain have said they do not believe next week's run-off between Mugabe and Tsvangirai will be free and fair.

The new appeal to Mugabe carried particular weight coming from dos Santos, 65, who like the Zimbabwean leader, is a former liberation-era guerrilla.

Nearly 30 years in power in his former Portuguese-ruled territory, dos Santos has himself been at odds with the West, refusing to bow to demands that he make his government more transparent and democratic.

The 14-nation Southern Africa Development Community is sending 380 monitors to Zimbabwe for the vote. Zimbabwe has refused to admit Western observers and ignored Britain's request that international rights officials be allowed into the nation.

Mugabe's government has also slashed the number of Zimbabwean observers who will be on hand for the election, according to the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network, which had nearly 9,000 observers for the March election.

"We only got invitations for 500 observers," Rindai Chipfunde-Vava, the national director of ZESN, said.

"A DAMN LIE"

Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the March vote but fell short of the outright majority needed to avoid a second round, according to official results.

The MDC leader has been detained five times during his campaign and MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti remains in custody facing a treason charge and other offences. Biti is accused of leaking results of the March elections prematurely.

He faces a death sentence if convicted.

Mugabe, 84, is fighting to cling onto power in the country he has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980. Once prosperous, its economy is now ruined and millions have fled the political and economic crisis to neighbouring states.

On Friday he denied that security forces were using brutal tactics against the opposition and accused the MDC of inventing reports of violence.

The political impasse threatens to make worse the economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which is struggling with inflation over 165,000 percent, 80 percent unemployment and chronic food and fuel shortages.