The White House has criticised the government of Zimbabwe as the African country marked its 27th anniversary of independence.
President Robert Mugabe marked yesterday's independence day with new threats against opposition forces that he accuses of trying to topple his government on behalf of the West.
"Despite the increasing campaign of oppression by the Mugabe regime against the people of Zimbabwe, we remain hopeful that one day soon they will join the growing family of democracies around the world," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said last night.
"The efforts by the Zimbabwean government to suppress the peaceful expression of democratic rights and its misguided economic policies have brought untold misery to the nation," Ms Perino said.
In a public address in Harare's main sports stadium to mark the anniversary, Mr Mugabe (83) described the main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, as a "pathetic puppet" of Britain and the United States.
"As government, our message remains clear . . . that we will never hesitate to deal firmly with those elements who are bent on fomenting anarchy and criminal activities," he said.