UK's attempt to overthrow defeated: Mugabe

Mugabe says he wilkl retire when his term ends in 2008

President Robert Mugabe said yesterday his government had defeated what he called attempts by Britain to scupper Zimbabwe's ailing economy and overthrow him. Critics accuse Mugabe of plunging the southern African country into its deepest crisis since independence from Britain in 1980 through controversial policies that the World Bank says have made its economy the fastest shrinking outside a war zone.

Opening a new session of parliament yesterday, Mugabe again blamed Zimbabwe's economic crisis on his political opponents, accusing London of mobilising what he regards as "illegal sanctions" by the European Union and the United States.

The 82-year-old Zimbabwean leader believes Britain wants to oust him over his seizures of white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks and said on Tuesday the drive to isolate his government had failed. "It is refreshing that the world has now become fully aware of the dishonest and hypocritical anti-Zimbabwe strategy of the current British government," Mugabe said.

"We feel proud that we have defeated that strategy which was aimed at the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy and an envisaged regime change." London denies trying to oust Mugabe and the West insists it has imposed only targeted travel bans on the ruling elite.

Mugabe's address was boycotted by legislators from the main wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change of Morgan Tsvangirai. "He has often delivered empty promises when it is clear his government has neither the concern nor the solutions to resolve the worsening multi-layered crisis," Tsvangirai's deputy, Thokozani Khupe, said in a statement. - Reuters