Mugabe: I will quit, as long I do not face prosecution

If he's going, he's certainly not going to go quietly.

The Mugabe regime launched a crackdown targeting opposition leaders and foreign journalists last night ahead of a key meeting of its inner circle this afternoon expected to end a week of speculation over the outcome of elections.

The prospects for a peaceful transition of power to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) diminished after a day in which security chiefs were reported to have told the ruling Zanu-PF party to refuse to accept a poll defeat.

Late last night, riot police and paramilitaries ransacked opposition offices at one hotel in the centre of Harare and raided another, detaining at least two foreign journalists, including a correspondent for The New York Times. The owner of the hotel was reported to have said that the two two people arrested were Christian Aid workers.

A senior MDC official told The Independent this could be "a sign of things to come" if the opposition and regional leaders did not grant more concessions to Robert Mugabe's party in the negotiations going on behind closed doors following Saturday's poll. As news of the actions spread several senior opposition members denied going into hiding, but said they will "exercise greater caution".

Police officials said the journalists had been detained for working without accreditation.

Zimbabwe uses a restrictive accreditation system and draconian laws to deter critical news organisations from entering the country.

A security source speaking on condition of anonymity said that air force personnel had been called in and told to prepare for violence. There was no confirmation about whether a similar call had been made to the police or army, but the so-called "war veterans" organisation, a paramilitary group often used for intimidating political opponents, was reported to have been called to muster.

Perhaps this is being done to force the opposition to give him what he wants, as the Guardian are carrying a story which states that the old bugger is seeking immunity from prosecution:

Robert Mugabe's aides have told Zimbabwe's opposition leaders that he is prepared to give up power in return for guarantees, including immunity from prosecution for past crimes.

But the aides have warned that if the Movement for Democratic Change does not agree then Mugabe is threatening to declare emergency rule and force another presidential election in 90 days, according to senior opposition sources.

The opposition said the MDC leadership is in direct talks with the highest levels of the army but it is treating the approach with caution because they are distrustful of the individuals involved and calling for direct contact with the president, fearing delaying tactics.

It really is astonishing that a man who has so resoundingly lost an election can now be making these kind of demands almost one week after the election took place.

The only good thing to be said about all this is that the opposition are refusing any offers for power sharing deals, which must have been one of the first places that Mugabe's team went in an attempt to stave off his catastrophic defeat.

Deals are now also being made with the military to ensure a stable transition of power.

The MDC's leadership has also opened direct talks with the "top, top" of the army according to the source.

The source said that the military leadership is looking for "guarantees for their conditions of service" and to keep farms confiscated from whites provided they are productive. The MDC said it has no problems with those issues.

However, almost a week after the election, Mugabe's team are still threatening to take all of this to a second ballot.

"Zanu-PF is ready for a run-off, we are ready for a resulting victory," he said.

"In terms of strategy, we only applied 25% of our energy into this campaign ... (The run-off) is when we are going to unleash the other 75% that we did not apply in the first case."

The MDC fears that what will be unleashed is an extremely violent campaign because that is its last hope Zanu-PF has of curbing support for the opposition.

Hopefully, all of this bluster is simply a bluff in order to force the opposition to give him immunity. I doubt he seriously wants to have another election which he is guaranteed to lose.

But, it is simply astonishing that, having lost the election, Mugabe now feels that he can negotiate the terms under which he will stand down.

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Tags: Mugabe, Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, MDC