British diplomat gets death threat in Zimbabwe

HARARE (Reuters) - A columnist in Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper on Tuesday accused a senior British diplomat in Harare of directing an anti-government "terror and propaganda campaign," and warned she could end up dead.

An opinion column signed by David Samuriwo charged that Gillian Dare, an embassy political and media officer, had a large fund to pay Zimbabwean journalists, academics and opposition politicians to attack President Robert Mugabe.

Samuriwo, a fierce critic of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition, is a regular contributor to the Herald. Last month he accused the U.S. embassy of funding a "violent campaign" by the MDC.

"Gillian Dare, the purse holder and financier of the violence being perpetrated by the MDC, should be aware that by throwing away all diplomatic etiquette into the dustbin and putting on her combat gear, she has become a prime target for deportation," Tuesday's column said.

Samuriwo said Dare had been labelled a spy by some sections of the media, and "could one day be caught in cross-fire as she plays night nurse to arrested MDC hooligans."

"It will be a pity for her family to welcome her at Heathrow airport in a body bag, just like some of her colleagues from Iraq and Afghanistan," he added.

The Foreign Office rejected the accusations and said the Zimbabwe ambassador in London had been called in to hear "our very serious concerns". It said Dare had pursued only legitimate diplomatic activities.

"The sort of direct and aggressive threats made in the Herald against a member of our staff are shocking and absolutely unacceptable ... We hold the Zimbabwean authorities responsible for protecting our diplomats," a spokeswoman said.

London has repeatedly rejected government accusations that it is interfering in Zimbabwean politics and wants to overthrow the 83-year-old president.