HARARE, Zimbabwe, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, suggesting British Prime Minister David Cameron is linking aid for Zimbabwe to gay rights, called the idea "satanic."
Mugabe, in a speech in a mining town, told young people homosexuals are "worse than pigs and dogs," The Daily Telegraph reported. He warned that practicing homosexuals will be punished.
"It becomes worse and satanic when you get a prime minister like Cameron saying countries that want British aid should accept homosexuality," he said.
At the Commonwealth summit in Australia in late October, Cameron said British aid should be contingent on the recipient countries' human rights practices. Harry Bellingham, Cameron's Africa minister, has said the country understands "local traditions" and would not make gay-friendly legislation a condition for aid.
Zimbabwe's proposed constitution, which comes before the voters next year, would give gays some legal protection. Mugabe, 87, has long been an outspoken critic of homosexuality, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says homosexuals should be discreet.
