Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai to go to US to seek aid, "give reassurances"

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan TsvangiraiHarare  - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will travel in the coming days to the United States to discuss his government's funding difficulties and reassure the West of his commitment to bringing about human rights reforms.

Tsvangirai's spokesperson James Maridadi on Tuesday confirmed the trip but refused to specify its duration, saying the itinerary was still being finalized.

"The purpose of the trip is to re-engage the international world and to ask it to support financially the inclusive government. The length of the trip will depend on what comes up after finalizing it (the itinerary)," Maridadi said.

"Even when he leaves depends on what comes up after it has been finalised," said Maridadi.

Sources within Tsvangirai's office told the German Press Agency dpa that Tsvangirai was also expected to travel to Europe after the US. The source said France and Sweden, which takes over the rotating European Union presidency next month, would likely be on the agenda of the trip.

The US trip would be Tsvangirai's first outside southern Africa since being sworn in as prime minister on February 13.

"The PM is going to USA on Saturday and will spend about three weeks outside the country," one senior source who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

"The trip is aimed at convincing the West to pour money into Zimbabwe for developmental projects," the source said, adding: "As you are aware, some Western countries have not been happy about the way Mr Tsvangirai has embraced (President Robert) Mugabe, who is hated by the West for running down the country and for disregarding human rights.

"The trip is meant to justify why Tsvangirai has started to sound like he is defending Mugabe's policies," said the source.

In an interview with a South African newspaper on the occasion of his first 100 days in office, Tsvangirai downplayed ongoing human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, referring to a renewed spate of white- owned land grabs as "so-called farm invasions" that had been "blown out of proportion"

He also downplayed the ongoing arrests of rights activists and members of his Movement for Democratic Change, saying they were "not political arrests" but "procedural matters."

Tsvangirai led opposition to Mugabe for over a decade before agreeing last year, despite defeating in a credible presidential vote, to accept the lesser role of prime minister in a agreement brokered by the Southern Africa Development Community.

The MDC leader is expected to appeal to Western nations to consider direct assistance to the Harare administration.

The United Nations this week launched an appeal for 718 million dollars towards Zimbabwe's health, food and education crises. More than 6 million people, over half the population estimated at around 10 million, have limited or no access to safe drinking water while more than 7 million people rely on food aid.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti, an MDC stalwart, says Zimbabwe needs over 8 billion dollars to turn around the economy, which Mugabe's previous populist government left in tatters.

So far, however, Harare has raised only 1 billion dollars in credit lines from mainly African countries and institutions. The US and other Western powers are insisting on further political and economic reforms before providing non-humanitarian aid. (dpa)