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Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Zimbabwe has said that Britain should "tone down" its attacks on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Tsvangirai, who is in Britain to meet with British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook and other British officials, was quoted in media reports as saying that there was a need "to look beyond Mugabe". He said that Mugabe should be given an "honourable avenue" out of the crisis.
"We shouldn't give Mr. Mugabe the excuse of being made a martyr in the eyes of Zimbabwe. He is history anyway. Robert Mugabe should not be the focus. Zimbabwe's future should be the focus," Tsvangirai said.
Tsvangirai added that he was confident elections would be held and that they offered a "ray of hope" to Zimbabwe.
"I think we are going to have elections which will reflect the people's verdict," he said. "But whether they are going to be free and fair ... they are stacked against the opposition."
Meanwhile on Thursday, Cook announced that a "high-powered" delegation led by two Zimbabwean cabinet ministers would visit Britain to discuss the two countries' frayed relations.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions