British PM rejects Mugabe meeting

British officials have dismissed a plea from South African politicians for Tony Blair to hold talks with the Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe, "in the interest of southern Africa".

Mr Blair and Mr Mugabe are due to address the Earth Summit this morning within an hour of each other. Bantu Holomisa, leader of one of the main South African opposition parties, the United Democratic Front, led calls for them to meet to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe caused by the government's seizure of white farms. Mr Holomisa said: "I am appealing to their consciences. Once they are under one roof, they should shake hands and go and have coffee together. They can then instruct their ministers to talk."

Mr Blair said on Saturday that he would raise Zimbabwe's "appalling catalogue of mismanagement and corruption" with southern African leaders during his three-day visit to the region.

Mr Mugabe is expected to defend the land seizures when he addresses the summit. Representatives of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change and farmers' leaders are in Johannesburg to counter what they described as Mr Mugabe's propaganda.