Harare/Johannesburg - A few hundred elderly Britons living in Zimbabwe are being offered resettlement back home to protect them from worsening political and economic conditions, according to documents obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The British embassy in Harare is distributing explanatory documents to elderly British subjects which state that their government will provide assistance for travel to Britain, accommodation, welfare and health support.

The offer comes at the worst point in Zimbabwe's history, with an economic crisis characterized by world record hyperinflation, the closure of state hospitals, constant power and water cuts, a cholera epidemic and national famine. At the same time, uncertainty prevails over the new power-sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and pro-democracy leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The 15-page document, entitled Resettling in the UK: Information for Potential Applicants, says elderly Britons who qualify would also receive financial support from the social benefit system and free health care from the National Health Service.

Applicants have to be at least 70, resident in Zimbabwe for at least five years and insufficient "independent means" that they could survive on in Britain.

The British government is "concerned" that elderly citizens in Zimbabwe "may find it difficult to leave at short notice should the situation deteriorate further," according to the document. It advises that though the British government is "not currently advising people to leave Zimbabwe, we do think it is prudent for individuals to consider their own circumstances and whether it is appropriate for them to remain in the country."

The British Foreign Office's current travel advice for Zimbabwe warns that "the situation remains unpredictable, and incidents of violence across the country continue."

No comment was available from the embassy, where officials advised journalists to seek clarification from the Foreign Office in London. However, diplomats said that the number of people fitting into the category for resettlement "probably aren't more than a few hundred."

The document says that British authorities would aim at arranging for their travel to Britain "within three months" and that authorities would try to settle groups of ex-Zimbabweans within reach of each other.

"I really don't want to go, I've been here 46 years and Zimbabwe is my home," said a 74-year-old World War II veteran officer. "A lot of people are thinking we should spin it out here, though we are all worried whether the government of national unity is going to work.

"The main reason for going would be because I would not be able to afford health care here as I get older, it's all charged in US dollars now. I am thinking about it. But I really don't know if I could cope with the awful weather," he said. (dpa)