Mugabe is the author of his own misery – Straw

Zimbabwe is "a self-made pariah, not a colonial victim", Jack Straw said yesterday when Britain launched an unprecedented attack on President Robert Mugabe.

The Foreign Secretary's criticism came as Tony Blair prepared to urge South Africa to take a much tougher line against the Mugabe regime when he meets Thabo Mbeki, the South African President, during the Johannesburg summit.

Britain is frustrated that South Africa has not been strong in its public criticism of Mr Mugabe and fears that the New Partnership for Africa's Development, which promotes democracy in return for aid, is being undermined by the turmoil in Zimbabwe.

Writing in The Observer, Mr Straw accused Mr Mugabe of causing the starvation of millions of people, saying: "The suffering inflicted on Zimbabwe's black population is especially shocking.

"A fraudulent election earlier this year was characterised by murder and intimidation. His continuing use of state-organised violence since then underlines his determination to hold on to power at all costs."

Despite Mr Blair's planned appeal to South Africa, he will seek to avoid a public confrontation with Mr Mugabe in Johannesburg.

Margaret Beckett, the Secretary of State for the Environment, said yesterday that the Earth Summit would not be a success if it were dominated by the Zimbabwe issue. "There is nothing President Mugabe would like better than to think that a whole world summit had been hijacked by his behaviour and his concerns. The summit is too important for that."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, called for tougher action by the Government against Zimbabwe, saying Mr Blair should galvanise the international community.