ZIMBABWE:African leaders warmly applauded president Robert Mugabe at a regional summit yesterday in an apparent snub to western governments which are calling for regime change in crisis-ridden Zimbabwe.
Mr Mugabe, who is widely accused of ruining the Zimbabwean economy and suppressing political dissent, was greeted with sympathetic cheers and loud applause by delegates attending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in the Zambian capital of Lusaka.
Mr Mugabe stood and smiled in acknowledgment of the show of support.
The heads-of-state meeting was due to consider possible action against Mr Mugabe following allegations of an upsurge in state-sponsored violence ahead of next year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
But public criticism of the Zimbabwean president - who has been in power since 1980 - was noticeable by its absence.
The Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, who once likened the situation in Zimbabwe to a "sinking Titanic", opened proceedings with a conciliatory speech.
While not referring to Mr Mugabe by name, he paid tribute to veteran leaders in Africa who had overseen their countries' liberation from colonial rule.
Mr Mwanawasa also refrained from commenting on the recent mass exodus of Zimbabweans to countries such as his own. Instead, he urged Zimbabweans to "maintain peace and stability at all costs because the opposite will just push your beautiful country even further backwards".
Mr Mugabe sat during the proceedings next to South African president Thabo Mbeki, who has been charged by SADC with mediating between the ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The mediation process was established last March in the wake of a brutal attack on a group of MDC leaders, and amid claims that regional governments were failing their responsibilities to protect human rights.
Mr Mbeki was due last night to present a report on his mediation efforts behind closed doors.
He has declined to comment on the matter, other than saying that reports in the international media earlier this week suggesting that he principally blamed Britain for Zimbabwe's problems were false .- (Additional reporting Reuters)