Friday, 19 May, 2000, 18:37 GMT 19:37 UK

Mugabe defends Zimbabwe farm seizures

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe says he won't give an inch in the row over land re-distribution and has again justified the occupations of white-owned farms.

Speaking at an economic summit in Mauritius, Mr Mugabe said land was a do-or-die issue for the government: to be a man in Zimbabwe, he said, one had to own land.

Mr Mugabe accused Britain of fomenting opposition to his government and said he would not have any Britons in the international observer missions expected to monitor next month's general election. The man behind the campaign of farm occupations, Chenjerai Hunzvi, has told the BBC he plans to appeal against the suspended jail sentence of three months passed on him in the Zimbabwe high court.

The court found he'd ignored a judge's order that he should instruct his supporters to end the occupations.

The judge said he would normally have jailed Mr Hunzvi, but he had taken account of comments by the farmers' union that a custodial sentence would have been undesirable.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/746777.stm