Go hang, Mugabe aide tells West

SHARM EL-SHEIKH (AFP) - Robert Mugabe’s spokesman told the West on Tuesday it can “go hang” amid growing criticism of the Zimbabwean president’s widely discredited re-election which has seen Washington push for UN sanctions.

“They can go and hang a thousand times, they have no basis, they have no claim on Zimbabwe politics at all,” spokesman George Charamba said in answer to a question about Western criticism of Mugabe’s violence-marred election.

Charamba also appeared to reject a Kenyan-style power-sharing deal.

“I don’t know what power-sharing is,” Charamba said. “Kenya is Kenya, Zimbabwe is Zimbabwe.”

The 53-member African Union was holding closed-door talks on the final day of a summit in Egypt amid intensifying pressure for the continent’s leaders to act to resolve the crisis which some fear could destabilise southern Africa.