Zimbabwe media bill delayed

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's government, facing fierce overseas criticism, again delayed a debate on a bill to regulate the media ahead of presidential polls.

The delay came as former colonial power Britain said Zimbabwe should be suspended from the Commonwealth and accused President Robert Mugabe of preparing to rig presidential polls on March 9-10 to extend his 22-year rule.

Critics say the bill, which has been amended following condemnation at home and abroad, is part of Mugabe's drive to silence opposition ahead of the poll where he will face the biggest test to his leadership since independence in 1980.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said he expected the debate would go ahead Thursday.

Debate on the bill has been repeatedly put off because some of Mugabe's ZANU-PF members fear it could hurt his campaign.

The government took back the bill last week and amended it after a parliamentary committee called it unconstitutional.

But the 39 amendments to the Access to Information Bill would still make it illegal for anyone to work as a journalist in Zimbabwe without state approval.

Overseas correspondents would be able to work in the country only after being accredited in advance by the information minister and only to cover specific news events.

"There are no substantial changes," said Reyhana Masters-Smith of the Media Institute of Southern Africa. "It is still highly repressive and we oppose it. There has merely been an attempt to make some of the provisions more vague."

The bill also outlined a range of restrictions on reporting. One minor concession in the amendments removed penalties for criticizing President Robert Mugabe.

But the Public Order and Security Act passed earlier this month already outlawed statements likely to engender hatred or hostility toward Mugabe, 77, the nation's authoritarian ruler. It also gave police sweeping powers of search and arrest.

Meanwhile Mugabe came under fierce criticism from British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"We totally deplore what is happening in Zimbabwe," Blair told parliament. "The actions of Mugabe...are a disgrace -- a disgrace to his own country which badly affect the reputation of the whole of southern Africa."

But Zimbabwe said Britain had scant support for its attempts to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth and accused London of wanting to engineer a victory for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The eight-strong Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), the group's democracy watchdog, will discuss calls for Zimbabwe's suspension at a meeting in London next Wednesday.

Heads of government from the Commonwealth are due to meet in Brisbane in early March, just days before Zimbabwe's elections.

Zimbabwe already faces possible European Union sanctions after failing to address EU concerns over political violence and alleged human rights violations.