The government today remained tightlipped over reports that it had offered asylum to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe if he reliquishes power.

"There is no statement," a foreign ministry official told AFP .

Reports from the Zimbabwean capital Harare over the weekend suggested that senior members of the ruling party and the opposition were collaborating on a plan under which Mugabe would stand down for a government of national unity.

He would be offered immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses and the chance to go into exile, and the Malaysian government had tentatively agreed to offer him asylum, the reports said.