Zimbabwe says invite still open for UN's Annan

HARARE, Jun 1 (Reuters) A Zimbabwean government minister said an invitation to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to visit was still open despite earlier indications he was now unwelcome, an official newspaper reported today.

President Robert Mugabe's government last week suggested a long-standing invitation to Annan was no longer valid and dismissed South Africa's suggestion that UN intervention was needed to end the country's long political and economic crisis.

But on Tuesday Annan said he was still preparing to visit Harare, and today's Zimbabwe's state-controlled Herald newspaper quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Obert Matshalaga as saying the invitation ''still stands ... although it might be no longer relevant for him to take it up now.'' Responding to a question in parliament from an opposition legislator on whether the government was still eager to engage the U.N. chief, Matshalaga said Annan had been invited last year to assess the government's controversial slum demolitions which the world body said had left about 700,000 people homeless.

''The government is on record as having sent a letter inviting the U.N. Secretary-General to see the situation in the country,'' he said.

He said the government's position had been ''misread'' in reports that the invitation had been withdrawn.

Matshalaga was unavailable on Thursday for further comment.

Annan told reporters today that although he said he had seen a newspaper report citing a Zimbabwean official as saying the invitation had been withdrawn, he was ''not quite sure that is correct''.

Mugabe invited Annan to visit in 2005 following a damning U.N. report condemning the government's campaign to clean up shantytowns by bulldozing them.

Annan has repeatedly said since the invitation was extended he was willing to visit Zimbabwe. But he has set no date.

UN officials have said he would not do so until he saw clear evidence of Mugabe's readiness to work with the United Nations on economic, political and humanitarian aid reforms.

REUTERS SI PC1730