Brown Denounces 'criminal' Zimbabwe Leadership

Gordon Brown today denounced the Zimbabwean government as a "cabal of criminals", ahead of a presidential run-off election on June 27.

In some of the strongest language yet directed at the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, the prime minister said a "criminal cabal" in Zimbabwe was threatening to "make a mockery of free and fair elections".

Speaking at a joint press conference at the Foreign Office with the outgoing US president, George Bush, Brown called on Zimbabwe to accept international observers for the forthcoming vote.

Brown described the recent violence that has left almost 70 opposition members dead as "unacceptable" and declared that Mugabe "must not be allowed to steal the election".

Bush said the prime minister obviously felt "strongly" about Zimbabwe and said the US would "work with you to ensure the good folks of Zimbabwe" would have free and fair elections.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, said last week that he was pressing Mugabe to accept 400 election observers for the election, amid fears the government will rig the vote to keep the opposition Movement for Democratic Change out of power.

Meanwhile, Mugabe has accused foreign aid agencies of using food as a weapon to remove him from power, state media reported today.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Mugabe said aid agencies had worked against his ruling Zanu-PF party in the March elections, when it lost its majority in parliament and the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the presidential ballot by an insufficient margin to avoid a run-off, according to official results.

"Food aid is needed and the government is focusing on that. That is a need the NGOs exploited, saying 'we are feeding you, so do not vote for Zanu-PF, vote for the MDC'," Mugabe said. "So we suspended them and are investigating their operations."

Aid agencies deny interfering in the country's politics, saying the government's decision to suspend humanitarian programs has left millions in dire need of food. Western countries have accused Mugabe of using food as a weapon.

The Zimbabwean government ordered aid agencies to stop work on June 4, amid western criticism that he was using food to put pressure on people not to vote for the MDC in the presidential run-off.

A UN senior envoy, Haile Menkerios, the assistant secretary general for political affairs, arrives in Zimbabwe later today for a five-day visit to assess Zimbabwe's political and humanitarian crisis ahead of the vote.

The MDC and human rights groups say Zanu-PF has launched a campaign of violence against the opposition since the March 29 ballot. Tsvangirai has been arrested repeatedly during campaigning for the run-off vote and one of his top lieutenants, Tendai Biti, faces treason charges.

Brown's strong words against the Mugabe regime came amid reports that Britain and its international allies will urge South Africa to cut off electricity supplies to Zimbabwe if Mugabe steals the election.

The Times newspaper reported that plans were being drawn up to persuade Zimbabwe's allies to mount an economic blockade and diplomats were considering a ban on children of the elite going to school in Europe if Mugabe loses the election but refuses to step down.