A U.N. official says an increase in fighting in Somalia is making it more difficult to get humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of needy people. The U.N. reports factional armed conflict throughout Somalia again is on the rise and is reaching levels not seen in years. 

The coordinator of U.N. humanitarian programs in Somalia, Maxwell Gaylard, calls the situation "a cancer of instability" and says it is having a serious impact on humanitarian assistance programs in most of the country. 

"The civilians get caught up in it," he said. "If they stay, their properties are looted and destroyed. If they move, they become IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), they become more vulnerable. At this point in time, we do not have an immediate humanitarian crisis. But, the situation is such that anything could tip these communities over, you know, bad flood, drought, bad harvest. It could tip already vulnerable communities over into crisis." 

Mr. Gaylard says about six or seven factions are vying for power in the capital, Mogadishu. He says that in the past six months, three U.N. local staff were kidnapped in the city, although they all were later released. He says fighting elsewhere in the country also is making it difficult for aid workers to distribute humanitarian assistance and carry out development projects. 

But the U.N. official says Somalia is not a lost cause and must not be abandoned. 

"It is not a matter of donors and U.N. sort of giving things to Somalia," he said. "We do not see it like that. Whatever we do there, we see as investment. I think you will agree if you have Somalia in the state that it is [in] today, it is no good for the natives and it is not good for the international community. It is a cancer of instability." 

The United Nations has appealed for $83 million from the international community, but it has received just more than 40 percent of that. Mr. Gaylard says help is needed, especially in protection and security, education, and economic recovery. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

A former associate of Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal, who reportedly died last week, says he was told their group, the Fatah-Revolutionary Council, was behind the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. 

Atef Abu Bakr says Abu Nidal made the admission during an inner-circle meeting and threatened to kill anyone who leaked the information. The comments will be published Friday in London's Arab daily Al-Hayat.

A former Libyan agent was convicted to life in prison last year for the bombing which killed 270 people when a New-York bound Pan Am plane blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. 

Abu Nidal's name has regularly been linked with the bombing, but no hard evidence has ever been produced to prove his responsibility. 

This week, Iraqi intelligence said Abu Nidal had shot and killed himself in Baghdad. Abu Nidal's followers allege Iraqi intelligence agents killed him. 

The Palestinian terrorist who was responsible for a string of major terrorist attacks from the 1970s to the mid-1990s has been reported dead before, only to re-emerge. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

AP

Chinese state television Thursday says waters in the Xiang River which flows into Dongting Lake - have risen to more than 38 meters. That is several meters above the flood-warning level, and the third-highest level in history. 

Yang Xusheng, an official with the Red Cross, says there are no deaths or injuries so far, and rainfall over the last few days has been light. But Mr. Yang says the waters in Dongting Lake and the Xiang River could continue to rise further. 

State media report that about 800,000 residents and eight thousand soldiers are working around the clock to shore up dikes around the lake and river. About 1,000 households around the lake, which is in central China, have been evacuated. 

Millions of residents in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, are reportedly in serious danger of being hit by floods from the lake. The province has been on emergency flood alert since Wednesday. 

Dongting Lake is China's second largest freshwater lake, and covers almost 4,000 square kilometers. 

Floods and landslides across China have already killed almost a thousand people this summer, as heavy rains have hit much of the country. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

China's Vice Premier Wants Army to Fight Flood
VOA News
22 Aug 2002 23:47 UTC

Chinese Vice Premier Wen Jiabao has called for a massive mobilization of soldiers to battle floodwaters sweeping into Dongting Lake in China's heavily populated central region. 

China's Xinjua news agency says Mr. Wen wants a more intense effort to strengthen dikes around the huge lake. Almost 900,000 civilians and about 11,000 soldiers have been working non-stop on the dikes. 

He says all local leaders in four central provinces must give top priority to protecting human lives, cities and major transport systems. Mr. Wen says China cannot afford to make mistakes. An estimated 10 million people live in the area around the lake being fed by the flooded Yangtze River. 

Officials say flood waters are expected to peak on Sunday. Some evacuations near the lake have already begun. 

In Hunan province, Dongting Lake is already more than two meters above flood level. Part of the city of Yueyang has been submerged. 

International and Chinese Red Cross officials said Thursday they will make a formal appeal for tents, quilts, and water purification tablets if more people are evacuated from the area. 

Hunan province is a densely populated farming area, and one of several regions of China hit by flooding this summer season. More than 200 people in Hunan have already died as a result of floods this year, and more than 900 countrywide. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

AP
Sami Al-Arian

Computer science professor Sami Al-Arian insists he has never supported terrorism or advocated violence against civilians. And, he has never been charged with a crime. But he admits to holding what he calls "unpopular views" when it comes to U.S. support for Israel, and says he is being persecuted as a result. Speaking with reporters Thursday in Tampa, Mr. Al-Arian said he will not give up his job without a fight. "We will continue to fight this," he said. "I believe that the issue was, and still is, an issue of academic freedom: the right to espouse views even though they may be unpopular." 

Wednesday, the University of South Florida went to court seeking an judicial ruling that would determine if terminating Mr. Al-Arian's employment would not violate his constitutional rights. The professor has been on paid leave since late last year, when he appeared on a national television show and was grilled about alleged ties to terrorist groups and a videotape in which he was believed to have uttered "Death to Israel." 

University officials accuse Mr. Al-Arian of abusing his position to engage in what it terms "improper activities." They say the uproar surrounding the professor has become a distraction, adding that the school and Mr. Al-Arian have received threats. Florida Governor Job Bush has said he backs the decision to fire the professor. 

Mr. Al-Arian is the brother-in-law of Mazen Al-Najjar, a Palestinian professor who came to the United States 20 years ago and overstayed his visa. Mr. Al-Najjar was imprisoned for more than three years on "secret evidence" of terrorist ties in the late 1990s, and is now awaiting deportation. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Life in Bethlehem Regains Some Semblance of Normalcy
Sonja Pace
Bethlehem
22 Aug 2002 17:28 UTC

Listen to Sonja Pace's report (RealAudio) 
Pace report - Download 690k (RealAudio) 

Bethlehem - Old Town (VOA photo - K. Assali)

This is Manger Square in central Bethlehem. The bells peal from the Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. 

On one side of the square is the Bethlehem Center for Peace, which opened in time for the millennium celebration in 2000, when hopes were high that this town, so central to Christianity, would become a major tourist attraction. 

Instead, last April, Bethlehem found itself caught up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when Israeli troops launched an offensive into the town to crack down on Palestinian militants. Several dozen armed Palestinians holed up in the Church of the Nativity along with a number of civilians. It took more than a month to resolve the crisis. The Israeli troops left, came back - and now have left again. Bethlehem is only now slowly coming back to life. 

Children scamper about, families are back out shopping without having to hurry home before curfew time. Music blares from loudspeakers, luring customers to buy the latest pop hits. 

George Masrieh (VOA photo - K. Assali)

Mr. Masrieh says he hopes now things will be better, but he has his doubts. He points to the shoppers walking by and says, they just look, they don't buy. 

Switching to Arabic, Mr. Masrieh says the Israeli withdrawal from Bethlehem and surrounding villages doesn't help all that much. 

He says the Israelis are still not issuing work permits for Palestinians and so he says people just get poorer. And, he says there is still no real freedom of movement. I've been to Brazil several times, he says, but I can't go to Jerusalem, which is just down the road. Is this going to get us any closer to independence or our own state? I don't think so, he adds. 

Daoud el Zeir  (VOA photo - K. Assali)

Daoud el-Zeir is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. He says this withdrawal agreement was a bad idea. He says all the Israelis have really done is to pull out from the center of Bethlehem to outside the town. People still cannot move about freely, he says, at least not very far. 

Daoud el Zeir says all previous peace negotiations were aimed at Israel's withdrawal from the land it took after the last Arab-Israeli war. That is still the Palestinian demand and he argues that to accept anything less even on an interim basis is a bad idea. He says the Palestinian Authority made a bad mistake accepting the Israeli withdrawal from Bethlehem. 

Captain Ala-edin Hosni (VOA photo - K. Assali)

No one knows that better than Captain Ala-edin Hosni, chief of police of Bethlehem district. In a conversation in his modest office on Manger Square, he says his men will do their best to maintain security. He says knows that part of their job is to curb any militant activity. But, none of this is easy. 

Palestinian police (VOA photo - K. Assali)

Despite these complaints, the people of Bethlehem seem to be breathing a bit easier, and are more relaxed as they go about their business. But, people talk of just getting by, of somehow finding enough money to send their children to school as the new term begins. No one talks of the grand hopes once embodied in the Bethlehem Center for Peace which now sits unused in Manger Square - a bleak reminder of what many here feel is a disappearing dream. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

New Report Shows Over Half of Argentina's Population Living Below Poverty Line
Scott Goldberg
Buenos Aires
22 Aug 2002 18:58 UTC

Listen to Scott Goldberg's report (RealAudio) 
Goldberg report - Download 2288k (RealAudio) 

AP
Hundreds line up for sugar, home cooking oil in May, 2002

Every night in Buenos Aires, minutes after someone sets a garbage bag on the curb in front of his home, someone else rips it open and looks for a meal. 

AP
Unemployed comb through trash in Rosario

The report shows 18.5 million Argentines are now living below the poverty line. That is 53 percent of this country's population. 

AP
Homeless child, Luis

Every week the protests grow bigger and louder here, as the country sinks deeper into crisis. 

Argentina's unemployment rate recently hit 21.3 percent - an all-time high. 

Those who do work earn pesos that have lost 70 percent of their value since the Argentine currency was devalued last year. 

Most people who put their life savings into banks still can't touch the money, because it remains locked in the corralito, the nationwide banking freeze. 

"Its very bad, very bad," one woman says. "They're robbing our money." 

AP
Eduardo Duhalde, left, with Roberto Lavagna

But critics say an emergency loan may do more long-term harm than good.The IMF wants Argentina to cut spending. And less spending on social programs could mean more poverty. 

Still, as President Duhalde has said, there is no Plan B. 

His government hopes to hear from the IMF soon, and insists the emergency loan is the only lifesaver that can rescue Argentina from the worst crisis in its history. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Putin Criticizes Military for Deadly Chechen Helicopter Crash
Lisa McAdams
Moscow
22 Aug 2002 16:33 UTC

Listen to Lisa McAdams' report (RealAudio) 
McAdams report - Download 257k (RealAudio) 

AP
A Mi-26 helicopter, similar to the one that crashed in Chechnya

President Putin leveled the criticism in a Kremlin meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Mr. Ivanov was summoned to update the President on the latest details of the investigation into the crash. 

President Putin was heard on Russian state television asking how such an accident could have happened when, he said, there has been a decree banning the use of Mi-26 helicopters for transporting troops since 1997. 

Vladimir Putin

Investigators are pursuing several causes for the crash, including technical malfunction or a Chechen rebel attack. But with President Putin now on record about possible fault by the military, that line of questioning will likely grow. 

147 people were on board the helicopter, which has a capacity of about 85, when it went down in a minefield just outside Russia's largest military base in break-away Chechnya. 

Only 31 people survived, and officials fear the death toll could climb higher, as the condition of some of the injured soldiers is reported failing. 

Relatives and family members of the victims have begun arriving at the military hospital for the grim task of identifying the badly burned bodies. Flags flew at half-staff across Russia in a day of national mourning that coincided with the country's annual Flag Day. It is the first time since the holiday was created in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that flags have been lowered on a day meant to see them flying high. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Saudi Prince Denies Saudis Fleeing US Markets
VOA News
22 Aug 2002 20:50 UTC

A senior member of the Saudi royal family is denying a newspaper report that Saudi investors recently withdrew up to $200 billion from the United States. 

Prince al-Waleed bin Talal said Thursday there may have been some withdrawals, but not on the scale reported by the Financial Times. He also says Saudis who invest in the United States are smart and shrewd and that it wouldn't make sense for them to pull out of U.S. markets when stock prices are low. 

Wednesday, the paper quoted an expert on U.S.-Saudi relations Youssef Ibrahim who said calls by some in the U.S. media to freeze Saudi Arabian assets had influenced investors to move their money elsewhere. 

Saudi-U.S. ties have been strained since the September 11 terrorist attacks, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. 

Earlier this month, a private analyst briefing U.S. defense officials said Washington should consider seizing Saudi assets if Riyadh does not end its alleged ties to terrorist groups. U.S. officials said the briefing reflected only the analyst's opinion and does not represent U.S. policy. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Spanish Harlem: A New York City Neighborhood with a Changing Reputation
Jenny Badner
New York
21 Aug 2002 22:39 UTC

Listen to Jenny Badner's Report from New York City (RealAudio) 
Badner Report - Download 642k (RealAudio) 

116th Street

The sweltering heat from record-high summer temperatures in New York City does not stop four retired men from playing their daily domino game outside on the streets of Spanish Harlem. 

They grew accustomed to the heat growing up on the tropical island of Puerto Rico. 

Mural at East 104th Street

Jose Rivera

The neighborhood's working class community expresses a festive Hispanic flavor. Puerto Rican flags hang from open windows. Spanish music and lively conversation fill the outdoors into the late evening. 

Despite its name, about one-third of Spanish Harlem is African-American. And while most of the Hispanics, who make up more than 50 percent of the population in the neighborhood are Puerto Rican, Mexicans are moving in, opening restaurants and shops bringing in new cultural and musical styles. Although members of the mixed community in Spanish Harlem coexist peacefully, some Hispanic residents say that the African American part of greater Harlem, "black Harlem" gets all the attention. 

James de la Vega

"You see people interacting on the streets with each other. There is a lot going on here. But it is also a tough place. There's a toughness about these streets also. One of the reasons I try to preserve the concept of Spanish Harlem is because Harlem always gets positive attention. And then Spanish Harlem almost gets squashed in this whole thing. So I try to promote a positive image for these streets," Mr. de la Vega said. 

Jose Rivera is also eager to promote a positive view of "el barrio," which he calls the "orphan" of Harlem. During his spare time he creates an Internet Web site dedicated to cultural and political activities, challenging Spanish Harlem's reputation as a dangerous neighborhood. 

AP
East Harlem

Ironically, its negative reputation has, in some ways, benefited the community by keeping housing prices low. Mr. Rivera predicts change is on the way. "We will be displaced sooner or later. I think we will, because of the housing market. It is sad. But for now the reputation has kept people away and it has let us live here for about 40 or 50 years. It is not a great thing to say. We would like to stay here. It would be nice. To stay here to buy homes, besides being renters, become homeowners and have a bigger investment in the community," Mr. Riveria said. 

Mr. Rivera works as a liaison between Spanish Harlem and an organization that promotes economic development throughout the area, called Upper Manhattan. The group helped bring new shopping complexes and middle class housing to Spanish Harlem. But residents, like Mr. Rivera say they cannot afford to buy the new expensive homes. They also worry about rising rents as housing costs soar throughout the city. 

Iris, a home caregiver who did not want to give her last name, says she can barely afford the $800 per month she pays for a one bedroom apartment in Spanish Harlem. But she is determined to stay in the neighborhood. 

Iris moved back to Spanish Harlem after a year in Puerto Rico. She found island life boring. "I've been here all my life. I'm a city girl. I'm an East Harlem girl. I lived in Puerto Rico, but I would rather live here," she said. 

Talk also turns to rising rents at the daily domino game. But for now, the retired residents of Spanish Harlem say they are not going anywhere. After all, "el barrio" is home. They have their community, their culture and the rest of New York City just around the corner. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

US Concerned About Constitutional Changes in Pakistan
David Gollust
State Department
22 Aug 2002 20:03 UTC

Listen to David Gollust's report (RealAudio) 
Gollust report - Download 253k (RealAudio) 

AP
Pervez Musharraf

U.S. officials say they still believe President Musharraf wants to move the country back to democracy. But they say they're concerned the constitutional changes will "make it more difficult" to build strong democratic institutions. 

Mr. Musharraf, who came to power in a military coup in 1999, imposed nearly 30 amendments Wednesday that would, among other things, formalize a role for the military in running the country. 

Phillip Reeker

The comments here were echoed by a White House spokesman travelling with President Bush in Oregon, who stressed the importance of Pakistan following "the path to democracy." 

President Musharraf has drawn praise from the Bush administration for supporting the U.S.-led war on terrorism, and cracking down on Pakistani Muslim militants. 

Richard Armitage

Mr. Armitage is on a regional swing through South Asia as part of a continuing effort by the Bush administration to tamp down tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir that threatened to flare into open hostilities in May. 

U.S. officials say in addition to raising the constitutional changes with President Musharraf, Mr. Armitage will press him to make good on pledges to curb the infiltration of militants across the "line-of-control" into Indian Kashmir, and to close down extremist training camps. 

The Armitage mission comes less than a month after a similar trip by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

US Congress Continues Debate Over Iraq
Deborah Tate
Washington
22 Aug 2002 20:15 UTC

Listen to Deborah Tate's report from Washington (RealAudio) 
Tate report - Download 646k (RealAudio) 

As the Bush administration considers whether to use military force to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, members of the U.S. Congress are using their August recess to publicly debate the issue. There appears to be no consensus among lawmakers, even those in President Bush's Republican party. 

The views of House Majority Leader Dick Armey and the man who will succeed him in the leadership post in January, fellow Texan Tom Delay, highlight the split among Republicans about the need for U.S. military action to oust Saddam Hussein. 

Dick Armey

"Let him bluster, let him rant and rave all he wants," he said. "Let that be a matter between him and his own country. As long as he behaves himself within his own borders, we should not be addressing any attack of resources against him." 

Rep. Tom DeLay

"He manufactured anthrax, and VX nerve gas, he applied the substantial resources of his country toward developing nuclear weapons and stockpiling chemical and biological weapons," he said. "He used chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds and killed 5,000 in 1998. He persecutes and murders religious leaders in southern Iraq, he represses Iraqi minorities in southern Iraq by razing their villages. For 12 years he has fired at American aircraft enforcing the no-fly zone. What more evidence do you need?" 

Congressman DeLay argues the Iraqi leader should be toppled before he has the chance to use his weapons of mass destruction against U.S. or regional interests. 

Senator Chuck Hagel

"This is a huge deal," he said. "If we would exercise the military option to pre-empt, inverting our doctrine by the way that we have always had in this country - pre-emptive strikes are now the new doctrine, that of course would set in motion a lot of other possibilities: India hitting Pakistan, maybe Israel striking, others could use that excuse to say 'Well, I'm sorry but they are a threat to my nation [and we can do this] because the Americans did it.'" 

Senator Arlen Specter

"I have talked to high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials, and there is some thread of hope that if we had unlimited discretion to inspect, if we could move in on a surprise basis, and it is true that he moves a lot of his equipment around, but let's try that," he said. "I think when you have so many of the nations of the world saying this is something we ought to explore, well, let's explore it." 

AP
Senator Fred Thompson

"We know he's got biological, chemical, and undoubtedly working on nuclear [weapons], and it will probably be just a matter of time before he has the fissile material necessary to pose a threat if not to the mainland United States, certainly to Israel, certainly to troops in the area," he said. "Now do we sit back and hope to negotiate our way out of that situation with Saddam? I don't think so, not to mention the thwarting the agreement with the U.N. after the last war there." 

Democrats, too, appear divided over the threat that Iraq poses. 

Senator Carl Levin

"The key question is whether or not Saddam is more interested in his own survival, does he love himself more than he hates us? I think the answer is probably yes, and if that is true, then it would be unlikely that he would initiate an attack with a weapon of mass destruction, because it would be certain that he would be destroyed in response," he said. 

Senator Joe Biden

"One thing is clear: These weapons must be dislodged from Saddam Hussein, or Saddam Hussein must be dislodged from power," he said. 

Senator Biden conducted hearings on Iraq in July, and plans more when Congress returns from its August recess. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

US Urges Musharraf to Restore Democracy
VOA News
22 Aug 2002 23:01 UTC

President Bush has praised Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as a key ally in the war on terrorism, saying he understands the importance of keeping the al-Qaida terrorist network on the run. 

But Mr. Bush also says it is important for General Musharraf to allow the return of democracy to Pakistan. 

Thursday's comments by President Bush came a day after General Musharraf made unilateral changes to Pakistan's constitution that could hurt efforts to restore democratic institutions. 

Earlier, the White House had said it is important for Pakistan hold free and fair elections scheduled for next month. 

At the State Department, spokesman Philip Reeker said the United States hopes that, after the elections, President Musharraf will develop a dialogue with elected civilian officials and adhere to existing constitutional requirements. 

General Musharraf imposed nearly 30 amendments, saying they are necessary to move the country toward a more stable democracy. 

Among other things, the amendments set up a powerful National Security Council that includes military members charged with overseeing foreign policy decisions. 

They also allow General Musharraf to dismiss the nation's elected parliament. He has already banned prime ministers who have served two terms from holding the office again. 

But two-time Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto filed her nomination papers Thursday in a bid to run for parliament in the October 10 elections. She is banned from running for public office because of a conviction last month on charges of corruption. 

Mr. Reeker said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who is now touring several Asian countries, will meet President Musharraf Saturday in Islamabad for talks on the changes to the constitution. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers' Union Decides Not to Pursue Class Action Lawsuit
Peta Thornycroft
Harare
22 Aug 2002 17:27 UTC

Listen to Peta Thornycroft's report (RealAudio) 
Thornycroft report - Download 322k (RealAudio) 

Colin Cloete

He said the union supports the government's land reform program, but said it is wrong for productive farmers to be arrested for growing food when the country was facing starvation. 

The Commercial Farmers' Union abandoned court challenges a year ago, because it said it was more constructive to engage the government in dialogue. 

The tactic has yet to achieve results and hundreds of farmers have been expelled from their homesteads. 

Many angry farmers have demanded that the Commercial Farmers' Union take the government to court to challenge the constitutionality of the land seizures and the legality of their recent arrests. 

Mr. Cloete returned early from holiday in South Africa when arrests of union members began late last week. 

He handed himself over to the police and was arrested and charged, released on bail, and then refused permission to return to his farm where he is growing winter wheat. 

He was among a group of more than 200 farmers who stayed on their farms beyond an August 8 government deadline for thousands of white farmers to leave. 

Mr. Cloete said many farmers were obeying new laws to pay off workers with terminal benefits, but he cautioned the benefits would only last a few months. He said the workers would then be unemployed and homeless, since they would no longer be able to retire on the white-owned farms as they had in the past. 

He predicted a massive human tragedy with the forced removals of 1.2 million workers and their families. The workers will lose their jobs as the forced expulsion of 95 percent of white commercial farmers is completed. 

Zimbabwe's welfare ministry has provided no assistance to thousands of farm workers and their families who have been evicted from their homes in the past 30 months. 

Email this article to a friend. 
Printer Friendly Version 

.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Denounces US Criticism as Racist
VOA News
22 Aug 2002 20:55 UTC

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has denounced U.S. efforts to isolate his government saying his legitimacy does not depend on foreign approval. 

In a speech in southern Zimbabwe Thursday, an angry Mr. Mugabe said President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair need to know that his government was not made in Washington but in Zimbabwe. 

Calling the United States, Britain, New Zealand and Australia as "those whites", Mr. Mugabe accused the western nations of conducting a racist campaign against his government. 

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner said the United States did not consider Mr. Mugabe the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe and that Washington was working with other countries to try to isolate him. He mentioned South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana as some of the countries. 

However, on Thursday, a South African official denied his country was working with the United States to isolate Mr. Mugabe. 

The official said, however, Pretoria was intervening on behalf of South African citizens whose farms are to be taken over as part of Zimbabwe's land reform act. 

This week, authorities in Zimbabwe began cracking down on white farmers who defied a deadline to vacate their land. The farms are to be given to landless blacks. 

At least 200 white farmers who refused to vacate their farms by last week's deadline have been arrested. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Commercial Farmers' Union says it will not file a class-action suit against the government for arresting and forcibly expelling white farmers from their land. 

The union president, Colin Cloete, said Thursday individual farmers who want to challenge the government in court should do so. 

President Mugabe has said his land policy aims to correct the wrongs of Bri