The president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has issued a defiant message to an audience of world leaders at the world summit in Johannesburg.

He attacked the government of UK prime Minister Tony Blair, saying: "Keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe."

Britain, the former colonial ruler of Zimbabwe, has been a strong critic of President Mugabe's policy of redistributing white-owned land to black farmers.

Mr Mugabe said: "We are African we are not British or European.

"We are doing our best to sustain our environment in every way possible.

"We want to be friends and not enemies of other regions."