Zimbabwe denies bar on Annan team

Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter say they will continue their work in the region

The Zimbabwean government has denied refusing entry to a team led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former US President Jimmy Carter.

The two men, and Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, had wanted to assess the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.

But they said the government had not granted them visas, making their two-day visit impossible.

A Zimbabwean official said the team had been advised to reschedule the trip to "a mutually agreed date in the future".

"The government of Zimbabwe has not barred Mr Annan and his team from coming to Zimbabwe," said foreign ministry spokesman Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.

He said Mr Annan had "misrepresented" Harare's position.

"The postponement was necessary because Mr Annan had made no prior consultations with the government of Zimbabwe regarding both the timing and programme of his proposed visit, as is the normal practice."

Postponement 'necessary'

However BBC Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says the move was a clear snub to the leaders by President Robert Mugabe.

The three international figures are part of a group called the Elders, set up to tackle world conflicts.

"We had to cancel our visit because the government made it very clear that it will not co-operate," Mr Annan told a press conference in Johannesburg.

The three said the sole aim of the trip had been to help people in Zimbabwe, and that they had no intention of becoming involved in any political negotiations.

The 'Elders' will stay in South Africa to assess the situation

Mr Carter said the group had been led to believe their visas would be issued on arrival in Harare, but on Friday night the former South African leader, Thabo Mbeki, relayed a message to them that this would not be permissible.

He said they had presumed that the information had come directly from President Mugabe. Mr Carter said he had never previously been refused a visa anywhere in the world.

Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper had previously reported a government official as saying the planned mission was biased.

President Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are in a power-sharing stand-off following disputed presidential elections earlier this year.

Aid groups say Zimbabwe is facing a major humanitarian crisis, with nearly half the population needing food aid by early next year.

Human-rights activist Graca Machel said the Elders had planned to meet people and hear first-hand about the scale of the humanitarian crisis.

The Elders will now stay in South Africa to brief themselves about the situation in Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries.