President Robert Mugabe's government said today it had no problem with Zambia's decision to hold an emergency regional summit on Zimbabwe this weekend but made clear it had not sought assistance.
In the first direct regional intervention over Zimbabwe's election deadlock, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said he had called the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting for Saturday because of "deepening problems" in Harare.
Mr Mwanawasa, SADC's current chairman, gave no other details.
Concern has mounted among Zimbabwe's neighbours because no final result has been announced yet from the March 29th poll, dashing hope of quick action to turn round a ruined economy that has sent millions of refugees fleeing to surrounding countries.
The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which urged SADC to ask Mr Mugabe to step down, says the Zimbabwean leader is prolonging the delay while he plans a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power in 1980.
SADC has been criticised in the past for failing to pressure Mr Mugabe despite the economic collapse in Zimbabwe, now suffering the world's highest hyper-inflation, chronic shortages of food and fuel and a near worthless currency.
"That's normal within SADC ... to call for meetings. We are neighbours and that is the spirit of SADC to meet and consider anything," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu was quoted as saying by the state-run daily Heraldnewspaper.
"As far as we are concerned we have not asked for assistance. We are waiting for (the electoral commission) to do its work, verifying the results because it should announce the correct results, so we don't see any problem," said Mr Ndlovu.
He said the electoral commission was "in the final stages" of its work.
The Heraldreported the government was prepared to brief SADC on developments in Zimbabwe since the presidential, parliamentary, senate and local government ballots.