Mugabe reassures farmers

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday assured the country's farmers that he will seek an end to the occupation of
white-owned farms by war veterans and their followers.

Tim Henwood, President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) told IRIN that he and CFU director David Hasluck had been summoned to the presidency at short notice to be given the assurance.

"We explained our position and told him we believed it was a just one," Henwood said. "He gave an undertaking to get things back to normality. And he said he will report to us tomorrow. So we shall see what the next 24 hours will bring."

Henwood, who said he last met Mugabe personally in November 1997, told the president that farming had been disrupted around the country, and that it was essential that the country's top hard currency earner, tobacco, be delivered for auction on time this season.

"We said we understand and support the reasons behind these invasions - but not the lawlessness and banditry," Henwood said. "I now have the assurance of the very highest voice in the land. His Excellency said he felt the support shown for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change by some of
the farmers was an aggravating factor behind all this."

Western diplomats had earlier said they understood Mugabe would make a major pronouncement on the country's crisis when he delivers a state-of-the-nation address on Monday evening to mark the 20th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Henwood said he did not know what Mugabe might say or when. But he said the president "explained his absolute regret" at the death of a white farmer at the weekend.

Henwood said he had also received assurances from a cabinet minister and police chiefs also present at the meeting that "no further violence will be tolerated." He said that the CFU had also been assured of proper police protection for farmers, and that those behind the shooting of the farmer, David Stevens, would be brought to book.

He said it was impossible "to quantify production lost, let alone the loss of morale" in the farm occupation campaign which started in February. At the height of the campaign 1,057 white-owned farms were occupied. On Monday, 616 remained occupied, he said.

He said police had also agreed to ensure security for those farmers who had fled and who wished to return to their farms. In turn, the CFU had explained that it had already accepted the need for land reform - an issue on which it had been working closely with the government.

"We are all Zimbabweans, and we want to resolve this as Zimbabweans," Henwood said.