TSVANGIRAI GETS SAFETY ASSURANCES !

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he will leave the Dutch embassy in Harare in the next 48 hours.
He was speaking to Dutch radio from the embassy, where he took refuge on Sunday night after pulling out of a run-off election, citing widespread violence.
He said the Dutch ambassador had received assurances from the Zimbabwe authorities about his safety.
Meanwhile, an African election observer told the BBC torture was "the order of the day" in Zimbabwe.
BBC Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says the observer interviewed opposition supporters in hospital and found that "everyone was utterly terrified".
BBC world affairs editor John Simpson, who is in Harare, says critics of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader have been lambasting him for seeking refuge in a European embassy, rather than an African one.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL
Five permanent members: US, China, France, Russia, UK
10 non-permanent members: Belgium, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Indonesia, Italy, Libya, Panama, South Africa, Vietnam

Mugabe's remarkable comeback

He says few people in Zimbabwe know that Mr Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the race, because official media barely ever mention him.
He adds that Mr Mugabe is on course for a remarkable victory, when only three months ago he seemed to be on the ropes.
Zimbabwe's Police Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, labelled Mr Tsvangirai's move to the Dutch embassy as an "exhibitionist antic", intended to provoke international anger.
He said Mr Tsvangirai, who was detained briefly on five separate occasions during recent election campaigning, had been making a desperate attempt to besmirch the election.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's UN ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku told the BBC's Network Africa programme: "We have never prevented [Mr Tsvangirai] from campaigning.
"He's a cry baby…. He has been free to move wherever he wanted to move."
Mr Chidyausiku has said Friday's presidential run-off would go ahead despite Monday's unanimous statement by the UN Security Council that said a free and fair vote would be "impossible".

President Mugabe blames the opposition for the election violence. The British-drafted statement was toned down from an earlier draft but was the first time that South Africa, Russia and China had agreed to criticise President Robert Mugabe's government.
It said the campaign had "resulted in the killing of scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans, and the beating and displacement of thousands of people, including many women and children.
"The Security Council regrets that the campaign of violence and the restrictions on the political opposition have made it impossible for a free and fair election to take place on 27 June."
Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Zimbabwe to postpone the run-off.

On Monday, more than 60 MDC supporters were arrested at the party's Harare headquarters.
The MDC won the parliamentary vote in March, and claims to have won the first round of the presidential contest outright. According to official results, Mr Tsvangirai was ahead of Mr Mugabe but failed to gain enough votes to avoid a run-off.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has been leading efforts by Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to mediate an end to the crisis.
Mr Mbeki is reported to be trying to arrange a meeting between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai for talks on cancelling the election run-off and forming a government of national unity.
Mr Mugabe has hit back at his international critics, accusing Western countries of lying about Zimbabwe in order to justify an intervention.
"Britain and her allies are telling a lot of lies about Zimbabwe, saying a lot of people are dying," Tuesday's edition of the pro-government Herald newspaper quoted Mr Mugabe as saying.

BBC NEWS REPORT.