The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change had sought to force the release of the result of the March 29 presidential election.

Its leader Morgan Tsvangirai has already claimed victory over President Robert Mugabe.

But the court turned down the MDC petition for the Zimbabwe electoral commission to immediately declare the result.

"The matter has been dismissed with costs," Justice Tendai Uchena said in his ruling.

The MDC has announced plans to stage a general strike on Tuesday if results are not released by then.

Partial recount of results

Southern African leaders who met in Zambia over the weekend to discuss the impasse merely called for the results to be announced "expeditiously", saying the matter should be decided by the courts and the electoral commission.

The opposition says it has no faith in the commission after it ordered a partial recount of results.

The MDC has also mounted a legal challenge to the recount order, which in theory could lead to Mugabe's Zanu-PF regaining control of Parliament.

At Saturday's emergency summit in Lusaka, regional leaders discussed the post-election impasse long into the night, but were always unlikely to find a swift solution after Mugabe decided to stay away.

They stopped short of criticising the Zimbabwean government or Mugabe, who was not even mentioned in a four-page joint statement.

Elder statesman

Regional leaders have been chided for their traditional reluctance to speak out against Mugabe, seen by many as an elder statesman who still deserves respect for his role in winning Zimbabwe's independence.

Nevertheless many are fed up with the economic mess on their doorstep with inflation in Zimbabwe now well into six figures, unemployment at over 80% and average life expectancy down to 36 years of age.

Zimbabwe's opposition urged South African President Thabo Mbeki to ditch his policy of quiet diplomacy after he was asked by regional leaders at the weekend to continue his role.

Mbeki was chief mediator between the governing Zanu-PF and Tsvangirai's MDC in the build-up to the election, but has come under fire for his policy of "quiet diplomacy".

On his way to Lusaka to join other leaders and delegations of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), Mbeki dropped in on Harare and held his first face-to-face talks with Mugabe since the disputed elections.

'No crisis'

"The body authorised to release the results is the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, let's wait for them to announce the results," he told journalists afterwards, insisting there was "no crisis" in his northern neighbour.

Tsvangirai, still trying to drum up regional support to keep the pressure on Mugabe, was in Zimbabwe's eastern neighbour Mozambique on Monday.

Sources said that he was to meet with Mozambican opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama.

No meetings however had so far been held with President Armando Guebuza.