Mugabe denounces sanctions threat

War veterans are involved in the take-over of land

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has vowed to defy any threat of sanctions by the United States and other Western countries and to continue with his controversial land reform.

Addressing a rally in honour veterans of the guerrilla war that ended white rule, Mr Mugabe also warned white farmers against organising attacks on black squatters.

What is our crime? Our crime is that we are black and in America blacks are a condemned race

President Mugabe

On Friday, 21 whites were denied bail after being charged with violence and assault after they clashed with a group of squatters in the northern town of Chinhoyi.

"We will proceed with land reform with or without their cooperation, with or without sanctions. Let that be known here and abroad," Mr Mugabe said.

Attacks

Saturday's rally came after a week of rising tension following the clashes and subsequent arrest of the white farmers.

They are accused of ganging up on and brutally attacking defenceless resettled farmers at a farm on Monday.

But the farmers say that war veterans tried to attack one of them.

The arrest of white farmers following clashes with black squatters has added to the tension

To loud applause, Mr Mugabe warned the farmers to desist from continuing with what he called organised attacks.

"Mind you, acts of this nature have the ability to bounce back and ... when they bounce back and hit them, they should not cry foul," he said.

Mr Mugabe also accused white farmers of lobbying the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Last week, the US Senate approved and passed on to Congress a bill that threatens sanctions unless the Zimbabwean Government respects democratic rule and law and order, and carries out a legalised land reform programme.

Racist

President Mugabe denounced the sanctions threat as racist and aimed at thwarting his efforts to "correct colonial imbalances".

"What is our crime? Our crime is that we are black and in America blacks are a condemned race. We are a black government with a European community, the whites," a visibly angry Mr Mugabe told several thousands supporter.

Zimbabwe has been plunged into political and economic crisis for the past 18 months after a government-back campaign of land seizures began.

Many occupations have been carried out by self-styled war veterans.

The government has targeted about 95% of the land owned by whites - some 4,600 farms - for confiscation.