Mugabe to speed up land reform

Opposition demonstrators rallied outside parliament

President Robert Mugabe has opened the new Zimbabwean parliament with a pledge to speed up land reform, amid rowdy scenes outside the building.

Addressing MPs, Mr Mugabe repeated his government's intention of pressing ahead with plans to redistribute land to landless Zimbabweans, in spite of opposition from white farmers, many of whose lands have been seized.

Mugabe: Land reform to go ahead

He also announced a plan to pull Zimbabwe out of its worst economic crisis since independence.

Despite attempts by armed riot police to keep back spectators and stop protests, backers of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change almost drowned out a military band with jeers as Mr Mugabe entered the parliament.

"The land resettlement programme is being accelerated and it is envisaged that at least 5m hectares of land will be acquired and developed for resettlement," Mr Mugabe told the assembled MPs.

"This should result in increased agricultural production and promotion of economic indigenisation," he said.

A new wave of young opposition MPs have entered parliament

Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF won a narrow majority over the MDC in last month's elections amid accusations of voter intimidation and fraud.

Hundreds of riot police armed with rifles, batons and teargas canisters ringed the building and supporters of the ruling party and the opposition gathered in a nearby park.

The two crowds were singing, dancing and taunting eact other under the watchful eye of the police.

Economic plan

President Mugabe told MPs at the colourful start of the fifth Zimbabwean parliament since independence in 1980, that the government had a plan to pull the country out if its economic crisis.

MDC supporters welcomed their MPs outside parliament

"As you're all aware during the past year and to the present the economy has been characterised by high inflation and interest rates, low foreign currency reserves and a high budget deficit.

"In light of this the government has worked out the Zimbabwe Millenium Economic Recovery Plan," he said.

"The programme seeks to remove the prime causes of inflation and to restore agroeconomic stability, in order to create conditions for economic growth and development," he said.

The traditional ceremony and formality of the opening of parliament was maintained as in previous years, but most spectators were prevented from seeing it.

The police kept members of the public well back from parliament in advance of President Mugabe's arrival.

Mr Mugabe's party failed to win a single seat in Harare in the June elections and even the short drive from his official residence to parliament was effectively an excursion into opposition territory.

On Tuesday, when members of parliament were sworn in, hundreds of opposition supporters lined the streets to jeer senior government figures.

The MDC says it will form a constructive parliamentary opposition, but clearly intends to challenge the government at every opportunity.

Farmers' strike

Meanwhile, a strike among white farmers protesting at continuing violence and intimidation by ruling party militants is reported to be spreading.

Farmers want compensation before their farms are reallocated

In what AP news agency described as the first concerted demonstration against Zimbabwe's five-month-old land occupations, 60 farmers in the fertile food and cotton producing district of Glendale stopped farming on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, at least 100 more farmers were preparing to shut down their operations, farm leaders were quoted as saying.

The Commercial Farmers Union, representing the country's 4,000 commercial farmers, said landowners in Shamva and Mazowe districts near Glendale, were also demanding immediate police action to protect owners and workers threatened and assaulted by squatters on their farms.