FORMER United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan and former US president Jimmy Carter were yesterday forced to cancel their visit to assess Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis at the last minute after the government refused to co-operate in any way.

Aid agencies immediately condemned the government's actions saying it was a huge blow to efforts to fundraise for the desperately needed humanitarian programmes in the country.

The two world-renowned peace campaigners were to be joined in their high-profile trip by Graca Machel, the wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela.

Although the government had announced that Annan, Carter and Machel had been told to put on hold their visit as the country was "busy" with the cropping season and talks to form a unity government, the Elders had insisted on travelling to Harare.

The three, who are members of the Elders -- a forum of world leaders and influential people including Mandela -- said they were disappointed by the attitude of President Robert Mugabe's government.

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating in talks between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition MDC, reportedly failed to secure visas for Annan and Carter.

"We need no red carpet treatment from the government of Zimbabwe," Annan said. "We seek no permission other than the permission to help the poor and the desperate.

"However, the refusal of the Zimbabwe government to facilitate our visit in any way has made it impossible for us to travel at this time."

Annan, whose previous attempts to intervene in the country's long- running political and economic crisis have been rebuffed by the government, said millions of people were in need of urgent food assistance.

"We want to use our influence to increase the flow of assistance, immediately and in the longer term, to stop the terrible suffering," he said.

The United Nations estimates that up to five million people will need food assistance by the beginning of next year.

The World Food Programme, which provides the bulk of the food aid, said it would be reducing rations given to starving Zimbabweans after its appeals for funds received little support from donors. Machel said they were "extremely" disappointed that government stopped them from assessing the extent of the famine that is already claiming lives of poor villagers.

"We want people to know that we care and that we will do all we can to help them. People are dying from hunger every day in Zimbabwe and hospitals are unable to treat the sick."

Government claimed that Carter and Annan were sympathetic to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and that they represented partisan interests.

But Carter, who actively supported Zimbabwe's liberation struggle, said he had no apologies to make.

"I am partisan," he said. "I make no apology for that. I supported Zimbabwe's liberation struggle and I oppose suffering and misery.

"But I am very sorry that we are unable to visit Zimbabwe."

Fambai Ngirande, the spokesman for the National Association of Non- Governmental Organisations (Nango) said people facing starvation were going to be the losers.

"The government has done a disservice to the poor who would have benefited from the fund-raising clout of the Elders," he said. "They could have encouraged the international community which so far has not been forthcoming to meet Zimbabwe's humanitarian needs.

"The Elders should have been given the opportunity to help unlock resources from donors."

He said aid agencies were worried politics was being allowed to get in the way of efforts to help desperate Zimbabweans.

However, Carter, Annan and Machel will still meet humanitarian agency representatives, civil society, business people and officials from Zimbabwe, South Africa and the region. Their findings will be presented at a press conference tomorrow.

On Thursday, the South African Cabinet said it was disappointed to note that political interests had taken priority at the expense of the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

South African leaders called on Zimbabwe to take urgent steps to finalise the amendments to the constitution, the allocation of the remaining Cabinet posts and the formation of a representative government without any further delay, and before the situation of ordinary Zimbabweans degenerates any further.

"No amount of political disagreement can ever justify the suffering that ordinary Zimbabweans are being subjected to at the moment," a statement from the SA Cabinet said.