African needs to stand up to Mugabe - Australia

CANBERRA, Aug 28 (Reuters) African nations, particularly South Africa, need to do more to encourage Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to hold fair elections, Australia's foreign minister and Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said today.

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and leaders of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been muted in their criticism of Mugabe, who has suppressed opposition in Zimbabwe and is accused of rigging elections.

Tsvangirai, whose campaigning against Mugabe saw him brutally beaten by Zimbabwe police earlier this year, said it was crucial for African nations to pressure Mugabe to ensure elections due in March 2008 were free and fair.

''I think it is very important for the credibility of the African leadership to start demonstrating that when one of their own has...gone off the rails, that you be brought in line by the Africans themselves,'' Tsvangirai told reporters after talks with Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

Australia has been an outspoken critic of Mugabe's regime, imposing sanctions against his government and leading the push for Mugabe to be suspended from forums of British Commonwealth nations.

In May, Australian Prime Minister John Howard banned the Australian cricket team from visiting Zimbabwe.

Downer said Australia would continue to support the people of Zimbabwe, announcing an extra A3.5 million dollar (2.9 million dollar) in aid through the United Nations World Food Programme, but said African nations needed to stand up more against Mugabe.

''We hope that the southern African countries -- in particular I'll single out South Africa here -- can have real success in helping to ensure that there are free and fair elections,'' Downer told reporters.

''If the expectations of the SADC countries is for free and fair elections and they make that position strong enough and clear enough -- and I think they are moving in that direction -- then that's going to be a very important component of getting a good outcome.'' Mugabe, 83, has ruled Zimbabwe since winning power in 1980, after decades of British colonial rule and a bitter civil war.

But in recent years, the fiercely nationalist Mugabe has overseen his country's economic collapse amid accusations of human rights abuses and a crackdown on political and media freedoms.

Tsvangirai is due to hold talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard later this week.

REUTERS LPB PM1645