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DATE=10/04/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=ZIMBABWE / ECONOMY (L-O)

NUMBER=2-267454

BYLINE=MARTIN RUSHMERE

DATELINE=HARARE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Zimbabwe's finance minister, Simba Makoni, has admitted that the country is in a serious economic crisis and international help is

needed urgently. He says the country has defaulted on a number of foreign loans, and foreign currency is so short that the country is in his words - living from hand to mouth. Martin Rushmere has this report from Harare.

TEXT: Simba Makoni says the International Monetary Fund will meet in November or December to review Zimbabwe's economic reform measures.

The finance minister underlined just how serious the situation is by saying - Even waiting until the I-M-F meeting is too long, we need help urgently.

The government of Zimbabwe is restoring the rule of law, said Mr. Makoni, by evicting and prosecuting illegal invaders on Zimbabwe's commercial farms. He said - we have not yet got to the bottom of it and we have not finished. But we are restoring the rule of law.

More than 17-hundred farms have been invaded by groups led by guerilla war veterans.

Mr. Makoni repeatedly said that he had the full backing of President Robert Mugabe in getting the economy back onto its feet. There had been no pressure from donors or from within the government for President Mugabe to resign.

But the minister acknowledged that there is debate within the ruling ZANU(PF) party on whether Mr. Mugabe should step down before his term of office ends in 2002.

Mr. Makoni called for the government and the private sector to join in solving the country's economic crisis. Referring to the history of strained relations between the two sides he said - we must not dwell on the past, but must move forward.

The Zimbabwe economy has not recovered from a devastating drought in 1992. The situation has been worsened by unplanned payments to guerilla war veterans - equal to almost three-percent of national economic output - and plans to take more than three-thousand commercial farms.

Mr. Makoni repeated a pledge to withdraw Zimbabwe's 11-thousand troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo as soon as possible. He said - we cannot afford it.

Zimbabwe's finance minister denied reports that an agreement had been reached with business and labor for a freeze on wages and prices. He said - we are negotiating for specific agreements, and the first of these is on ways to manage incomes and prices. (SIGNED)

NEB/MR/GE/RAE