Folks, It would appear that the row between Zimbabwe and Britain is under control following the meeting between Cook and Mugabe yesterday afternoon in Cairo. ############################################################################ # LONDON, April 3 (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe bluntly warned Britain to mind its own business Monday, angered at the way British ministers are increasingly flailing his regime. "The UK is trying to teach us how to run our country and naturally we take exception to that," he told British television in Cairo on the sidelines of the first summit of EU and African leaders, before meeting British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook. "We are not a British colony any more. Britain has no right -- no right at all -- to try and suggest to the rest of the world that we are a failure. "If there is any country that should now be considered for sanctions it is Britain for interfering in the domestic affairs of Zimbabwe." Mugabe's barbed remarks were another broadside in the increasingly bitter war of words between Zimbabwe and its former colonial master. He has previously called the British government "gay gangsters." Cook and Mugabe later shook hands for television cameras, before going in for a meeting together. A British embassy official gave no immediate details of their talks. Britain has been particularly critical of the Mugabe government over its land-grab strategy, as well as president's desperation to cling to power, despite a crippled economy, in the face of an emerging credible opposition. An opposition march Saturday was attacked by pro-government war veterans which Britain's junior foreign minister Peter Hain said appeared to have been "orchestrated from on high." A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the weekend events were "worrying developments" and that the government would review assistance to Harare. "We are going to review all the assistance we give to the Mugabe regime and that review will take place in the coming days," the spokesman said. "What we want is a democratic Zimbabwe. Clearly it is difficult for us to give help and support when events are unfolding in this way." Earlier Monday, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said he would call on Britain's EU partners next week to send election monitors to Zimbabwe to ensure that the forthcoming legislative vote next month is free and fair. He told the BBC from Cairo that Zimbabweans had the right to choose their own government in a fair election. "I will be proposing next week in Brussels that the European Union should consider providing election monitors to make sure that not only elections are free and fair but are seen to be free and fair." Cook denied that there was anything "colonial" in Britain's attitude. "All countries around Zimbabwe do accept outside monitors, do accept having their elections observed by outsiders," he said. km/bb/js/hb sidi sanneh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------