U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAID ON TUESDAY HE WAS STILL PREPARING TO VISIT ZIMBABWE, DESPITE AN OFFICIAL'S SUGGESTION THE GOVERNMENT NO LONGER WANTED HIM TO COME, REUTERS REPORTED. "I AM CONTINUING MY PREPARATION AND I DO HOPE TO VISIT ZIMBABWE AS PLANNED," ANNAN TOLD REPORTERS AT U.N. HEADQUARTERS. "AND WHEN THE DATE IS FIXED, I WILL LET YOU KNOW. I HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET," HE SAID. ALTHOUGH HE SAID HE HAD SEEN A NEWSPAPER REPORT CITING A ZIMBABWEAN OFFICIAL AS SAYING THE INVITATION HAD BEEN WITHDRAWN, "I AM NOT QUITE SURE THAT IS CORRECT," HE SAID. ZIMBABWE LAST WEEK SUGGESTED A LONG-STANDING INVITATION TO ANNAN WAS NO LONGER VALID AND DISMISSED SOUTH AFRICA'S SUGGESTION THAT U.N. INTERVENTION WAS NEEDED TO END THE COUNTRY'S LONG CRISIS. "ZIMBABWE IS NOT A U.N. ISSUE," THE STATE-OWNED HERALD NEWSPAPER CITED GEORGE CHARAMBA, SPOKESMAN FOR ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE, AS SAYING. MUGABE INVITED ANNAN TO VISIT IN 2005 FOLLOWING A DAMNING U.N. REPORT CONDEMNING THE GOVERNMENT'S CAMPAIGN TO CLEAN UP SHANTYTOWNS BY BULLDOZING THEM.
