Zimbabwe admits EU poll monitors

Mugabe is seeking to extend his 22-year rule

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- The Zimbabwe government has granted permission for 30 EU election observers to monitor next month's presidential poll.

However, the government is still locked in a row over the accreditation of team leader Pierre Schori.

Swedish diplomat Schori said the European Commission in Harare was still negotiating with Zimbabwe's government for his accreditation.

But he said that most of the 30-strong EU team in Harare had been registered as observers.

"We had about 30 accredited today and tomorrow we will be deploying about 12 teams around the country. I haven't sought accreditation yet for obvious reasons," Schori told Reuters.

He said he would press on for official clearance as the EU team leader. "We have a mission to do here," he said.

VIDEO CNN's Robin Oakley reports on the tension between EU election observers and the Zimbabwe government (February 13) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES Analysis: Mugabe's cat-and-mouse game    COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: Zimbabwe Provided by CountryWatch.com

The 30 were from the nine EU countries Mugabe's government had invited to observe the poll, he said.

Schori was also leader of the EU observer delegation to Zimbabwe's parliamentary election in 2000. But international criticism has increased since then with the invasion of white-owned farms by Mugabe supporters.

Mugabe's government at first banned citizens of former colonial power Britain from the EU team.

It later failed to invite representatives from Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Most are known as generous aid donors but they have also been outspoken critics of Mugabe's land seizures and human rights record.

With only 23 days to go before Zimbabwe's presidential election, analysts say Harare's dispute with the EU and delays getting observers on the ground mean their impact on ensuring a free and fair poll is likely to be marginal.

Zimbabwe's refusal to accredit Schori, chosen to lead the 150-strong European Union team sent to observe the March 9-10 vote, has added to opposition fears that the electoral process is being rigged.

Mugabe is seeking to extend his 22-year rule but is being strongly challenged by opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai.