Harare - A conference being held in Zimbabwe to kickstart the process towards drafting a new national constitution was due to resume Tuesday after being disrupted by supporters of President Robert Mugabe on Monday, the organizers said.

The first attempt to hold the national all-stakeholders conference convened under the auspices of the country's power-sharing agreement broke up in disarray on Monday.

A group of Mugabe's notorious war-veteran militia drowned out the proceedings with singing and dancing, and threw water bottles at delegates.

The conference centre was cleared out by riot police.

On Monday night, Mugabe condemned the disturbance at the gathering of 4,000 delegates from all sections of society, who have been asked to contribute towards a new democratic constitution.

He and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change, who formed a coalition government five months ago, would not "brook any further nonsense," he said.

On Tuesday morning Douglas Mwonzora, head of the parliamentary committee organising the process said the delegates were reassembling. "The conference is restarting right now, as we speak," he said.