Zimbabwe Election: Mugabe Opponent Tsvangirai to Leave Dutch Protection

Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said today he hopes to leave his refuge in the Dutch embassy imminently but warned that his safety could not be guaranteed by a regime that was "acting irrationally".

Tsvangirai, who quit a presidential run-off against Robert Mugabe at the weekend amid escalating violence targeting his supporters, welcomed last night's UN resolution condemning the Zimbabwean regime.

As Mugabe's forces kept up their assault on the opposition, raiding the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's headquarters and hauling away scores of people sheltering from abductions, beatings and worse, the UN security council unanimously adopted a statement condemning the government's "campaign of violence" that had "denied its political opponents the right to campaign freely".

It was the security council's first formal action on the crisis. Up until then, South Africa, Mugabe's strongest regional backer, had blocked UN involvement in the crisis, but it agreed to the statement, a move described as "significant" by British diplomats.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said earlier that proceeding with Friday's run-off ballot would "only deepen divisions within the country and produce a result that cannot be credible".

According to Senegal's president, Abdoulaye Wade, Tsvangirai sought refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare on Sunday after being warned that soldiers were about to arrive at his home.

This morning, the opposition leader told Dutch public radio he hoped to be able to leave soon.

"The [Dutch] ambassador has talked to the government and has been assured that there is no threat. So from today or tomorrow, I'll be able to make those arrangements," he said, while adding that he could not be certain of remaining safe.

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

The UN resolution was "very important", Tsvangirai added: "It recognizes the people who are accountable for the violence and it squarely placed that responsibility at Mugabe's leadership."

The ruling Zanu-PF said the election would go ahead despite Tsvangirai's withdrawal, while Mugabe warned he held the MDC to blame for the violence.

"Sooner or later we are going to accuse the MDC leadership of being vicariously responsible for the violence," he said.

Tsvangirai won the first round of elections in March but withdrew from the run-off saying he could not ask people to die voting for him. His move has intensified foreign criticism of Mugabe.

Yesterday, Gordon Brown told parliament that governments should not recognise an election rigged "by a criminal and discredited cabal".

The US said that without a fair election a Mugabe victory on Friday could not be seen as legitimate. The African Union said Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the race and the violence was a "matter of grave concern" although the organization fell short of attributing responsibility to Zanu-PF.

Although China, a major trade partner of Zimbabwe which has been criticized for not doing enough to influence the regime, did not block last night's UN resolution, it remains wary of openly condemning Mugabe.

Today, a foreign ministry spokesman refused to say whether China thought the presidential vote should go ahead, calling only on all sides to "solve their disputes through dialog and other peaceful means".

The various condemnations have done little to curb the violence.

Many of the people taken away from the MDC's headquarters by armed police in riot gear were women and children, families of MDC activists and officials, such as councillors. The police said people were removed from the offices in Harare for "health reasons".

Violence proliferated elsewhere. The MDC said one of its MPs, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, was critically ill in hospital after being attacked by Zanu-PF on his way to a rally in Harare on Sunday. The rally was to be addressed by Tsvangirai, but was called off after thousands of armed Zanu-PF supporters occupied the venue and attacked people.

Last night, Lord Ashdown said military intervention could be necessary if the situation worsened. Zimbabwe, he told the Times, "could deteriorate to a point where genocide could be a possible outcome - something that looks like Rwanda".

Zanu-PF said the presidential election would go ahead. The justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa, described Tsvangirai's withdrawal as an attempt to "hoodwink" Mugabe's supporters.

"Zanu-PF is not treating the threats seriously; it is a nullity. We are proceeding with our campaign to romp to victory on Friday," he said.

"Tsvangirai went into the election thinking that it was a sprint, and was not prepared for a marathon and wants to avoid defeat. He spent his time globe-trotting and gallivanting in Europe and left MDC supporters without leadership.

The MDC has said it is prepared to share power but that, because Tsvangirai won the first round of elections and the party forced Zanu-PF into opposition in parliament for the first time since independence in 1980, Mugabe must relinquish office.