Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called on all African leaders to acknowledge he won last month's disputed election.
He promised an honourable exit for President Robert Mugabe.
He said that Mr Mugabe is a liberation hero in Africa and he must be convinced to make a graceful exit.
Meanwhile, China has said a shipment of weapons bound for Zimbabwe may return home after South African port workers refused to unload it and two other southern African nations denied it access to their ports.
Zambia, which chairs the Southern African Development Community grouping, urged regional states to bar the An Yue Jiang from entering their waters, saying the weapons could deepen Zimbabwe's election crisis.
The ship was barred from unloading in the South African port of Durban, prompting it to set sail again. Mozambique and Angola have since said it was not welcome.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the contract for the shipment was signed last year and was unrelated to recent developments in Zimbabwe.
She said the arms shipment was perfectly normal trade in military goods between China and Zimbabwe, but because it was impossible for land-locked Zimbabwe to receive the goods, the company may ship the cargo back to China.
Zimbabwe on Sunday announced a delay in a partial recount of votes in its 29 March elections, which the opposition Movement for Democratic Change says it won.
