Mugabe: Zim is not for sale
25/04/2008 20:26  - (SA)  

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Bulawayo - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Friday rejected foreign criticism of his country as international pressure mounted for him to stand down.

"Zimbabwe has a history and heritage and it will never be afraid. Zimbabwe is not for sale and Zimbabwe will never be a colony again," Mugabe said at the opening of an international trade fair in the southern city of Bulawayo.

Mugabe also defended his government's controversial farm seizures, a policy that began in 2000 and seen as marking the beginning of a decline in his 28-year rule over this fertile southern African nation.

"Our country tried the willing buyer-willing seller method of land resettlement and it failed," Mugabe said.

"It is our land, our treasure, our birthright," he continued.

Britain, Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler, and the United States have pressured Mugabe to stand down after a presidential vote on March 29, which independent observers say was won by his opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

In his speech, Mugabe thanked several regional organisations including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union, for their "continued support and solidarity".

 

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