Zimbabwe limits EU, US embassy election observers

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has allowed only five election observers from each of the embassies of European Union countries, the United States and other western nations.

President Robert Mugabe has said Zimbabwe will not invite observers from "hostile" countries which imposed sanctions on the country - effectively banning European Union countries, the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

But Mugabe said African and South American countries were welcome to send observer missions - either as regional groups or individually because Zimbabwe had "nothing to hide".

Ahead of general elections on July 31, the ZEC on Tuesday announced that it had approved 7,561 local and foreign observers for accreditation.

Of that number, 6,650 were local observers; 589 foreign observers, 294 local journalists and 28 foreign journalists.