Despite Western pressure on him over his re-election victory, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was sworn in on Sunday as the country's head of state to serve another six-year term.
With a 21-gun salute sounding and four fighter jets sweeping overhead, the colorful inauguration took place amid thunderous applause by thousands of ruling party supporters.
Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku presided over the swearing-in ceremony, which was witnessed by leaders of some other African countries, including Malawian President Bakili Muluzi, Namibian President Sam Nujoma, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila, Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, Tanzanian President Benjamin Mukapa, South African Vice-President Jacob Zuma,Zambian Vice-President Enock Kavendele.
Zimbabwe's top judge, who was dressing in British-style scarlet and black robes and shoulder-length horsehair judicial wigs,bedecked Mugabe with a red sash of office.
"I, Robert Gabriel Mugabe do swear that I will be faithful to the laws of the Republic of Zimbabwe, so help me God," said Mugabe who was flanked by first lady Grace.
Mugabe, who is from the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), won last weekend's presidential election by polling 1,685,212 against his closest rival Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who polled 1,262,401 votes.
At the State House, where the ceremony was held, thousands of ZANU-PF supporters in clothing emblazoned with Mugabe's portrait, were singing and dancing to celebrate his victory, with a hope that Mugabe will finally deliver on his promises to give them the land currently owned by the country's white minority.
In his inauguration speech shortly after he was sworn in as president, Mugabe vowed to continue with his government's controversial land reform program.
He told thousands of cheering supporters that "land reforms must proceed with greater speed and strength" to shore up the economy, badly battered by years of political instability.
He said the program, under which the government was taking over idle farms from white farmers, who own the bulk of Zimbabwe's arable land, to resettle landless blacks, would form the center-piece of his efforts to revive the economy.
"We want to make sure that blacks play a meaningful role in the economy, and we will do that through the land reforms," said Mugabe.
In the run-up to the March 9-11 poll, critics had accused the Zimbabwean leader of stirring up the emotive land issue merely to garner support in the country's closest-fought election since independence in 1980.
But he told the nation that in spite of stiff opposition to the agrarian reforms from powerful Western countries, especially the country's former colonial power of Britain, he would press ahead to seize farms from whites and resettle blacks.
"That message has not been accepted in Britain, that Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans. This is our land, and we have no intention of owning a piece of land in Britain," said Mugabe.
He described his victory in the poll as "a stunning blow to imperialism" and thanked African countries for supporting Zimbabwe in its stand-off with Western countries over the agrarian reforms.
Many African leaders have supported Mugabe's re-election victory in Zimbabwe's crucial election, which they said was " transparent, credible, free and fair".
Mugabe said Zimbabwe needed their continued support against what he called hostile international attention.
"When they aim at Zimbabwe, it is not Zimbabwe alone, they have other countries in mind."
In his campaign for re-election, the Zimbabwean leader repeatedly accused Britain and its Western allies of trying to re- assert neocolonial rule in Zimbabwe, and the region, by installing a compliant opposition party in power.
"Thanks to the people, our people and the people of Africa for this joint effort in rejecting this neocolonial attempt. Africa is for Africans," said Mugabe.
However, Mugabe is under strong regional pressure to form a government of national unity, incorporating his closest rival in the poll, to ensure political and economic stability in Zimbabwe.
South African President Thabo Mbeki and President Olusegun Obasanjo are expected in Harare Monday for talks with the Zimbabwean leader on a possible government of national unity.
The two, along with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, are members of a Commonwealth panel charged with assessing the election and recommending possible action by the group against Zimbabwe. The panel was scheduled to meet in London on Tuesday.
Diplomats here said a government of national unity was partly intended to allow their insistence on the MDC' s victory in Zimbabwe's election.
The European Union (EU) and the US have joined the opposition in alleging the election was neither free nor fair and threatened more sanctions on Zimbabwe.
A final communique issued on Saturday evening after the Barcelona EU summit said, "The European Union will maintain its humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe and will consider possible additional targeted measures against its government."
Sunday's inauguration ceremony was boycotted by EU countries, the US and some members of the Commonwealth.
Also, the opposition's 57 members of parliament stayed away. In his inaugural address, Mugabe extended an olive branch to the opposition to join him in rebuilding the country's economy, which has suffered three years of consecutive decline, but did not say in what role.
"Our energy is better spent on reviving the economy than plotting to bring down each other," he said.
"The call to all of us, whether in the ruling party or in the opposition, is that we unite and come together as one people. There are areas where we must work together because we have a common destiny," said Mugabe.
The MDC party rejected the voting results, claiming the government rigged the poll in favor of incumbent President Mugabe.
MDC leader Tsvangirai said pre-election violence prevented his party from campaigning in rural areas, the stronghold of the ruling party, and that thousands of his supporters in towns were disenfranchised when they failed to vote because authorities reduced polling centers in urban areas.
The ZANU-PF government denied rigging the election, saying Mugabe won on the strength of the appeal of ZANU-PF's land policy.
Analysts said Mugabe received much of his votes from the rural areas, where voter turnout was considered much higher than in towns and cities.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2002)
