ZIM CRISIS TO BE DISCUSSED AT G8 MEETING

Zimbabwe's demolition of illegal homes and backyard shacks is likely to be touched on at this week's meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, of the leaders of the world's richest countries, as they discuss a multibillion-dollar plan to wipe out poverty and debt in Africa.

World attention in recent weeks has focused on the Southern African country as its government embarked on a campaign to clean up unauthorised business and residential structures.

With the two-pronged "Operation Restore Order" and "Operation Murambatsvina" ("Drive out Rubbish") now entering its seventh week, hundreds of thousands have been left homeless in what President Robert Mugabe said was action necessary to enjoy "future comfort".

The scheme has seen bands of armed police forcibly evicting people from their dwellings and pulling down structures in clearances which human rights groups have said claimed the lives of at least five people.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, this year's G8 chairperson, has already said he will raise the issue at the Gleneagles meeting, where ending poverty and good governance in Africa will be at the top of the agenda.

"In the end the best pressure will come from the countries surrounding Zimbabwe," Blair told the British Parliament on Wednesday, just over a week ahead of his meeting with leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

"We have to make sure that African countries realise what a deep responsibility there is to sort this out themselves," he said.

But Blair added: "I don't believe that what is happening in Zimbabwe should prevent us taking action on poverty in Africa."

United State President George Bush in Washington called Mugabe a "terrible example".

"Zimbabwe was a bread basket, provided a lot of food on a continent that often needs food. And it's a country that's being wrecked," the world's most powerful leader said.

Germany's Parliament on the same day condemned "a new dimension of terror" against civilians.

The Bundestag lower house passed the motion assailing the situation in Zimbabwe with "violence, displacement and arrests of politically unpopular people under the regime of President Robert Mugabe".

The Zimbabwean government embarked on the campaign on May 19 and said it was winding down and that it would embark on a project to build new homes.

South Africa said President Thabo Mbeki would not respond to calls to act on Mugabe until the visting United Nations special envoy Anna Tibaijuka, currently in Zimbabwe investigating the campaign and its repercussions, had released her report.

But Trevor Manuel, South Africa's finance minister said "it's easy to climb onto the bandwagon and beat up on the Zimbabweans".

"On the other hand, we must... say 'is this just a crazy action by a pariah?'," Manuel told French news agency AFP in an interview in Pretoria last week.

"Or is it something that should have happened and happened in larger measure because there was some benign neglect about it for too long?" Manuel said.

Mbeki would comment only after Tibaijuka had reported back to UN chief Kofi Annan, a South African government spokesperson said.

"The president has said that we'll have to await the report... on the situation if needed to determine what course of action should be undertaken," said foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa. - Sapa-AFP