HARARE -- Australian Aborigines have sought the support of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in their fight to reclaim land taken from them by white colonial settlers some 200 years ago, the pro-government ***Herald*** said Monday as quoted by AFP.

The paper said Aboriginal leaders had written to Mugabe, asking him to lend his weight to their struggle when he attends the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in October.

An independent weekly, the ***Zimbabwe Independent***, last Friday said Mugabe had been declared a "security risk" at the October CHOGM summit, leaving organizers fearing angry demonstrations by rights groups.

The aborigines said the tight security being prepared for Mugabe was a smokescreen by Australian authorities aimed at "enclosing" and preventing him from addressing that country's natives over the land issue.

"In fact they are afraid of your stance on lands redistribution in your country," said the aborigines in a letter to Mugabe, which was quoted in the ***Herald***.

"They are scared that your presence in Australia will excite the Aborigines whose land was stolen from them by whites.

"So when you stand up to speak at the conference in Brisbane, I urge you to voice your support for the right of the aborigines to inherit their land," said an Aborigine leader in the letter quoted by the paper.

The land reforms are aimed at redressing colonial imbalances which left whites, who account for less than one percent of 12.5 million inhabitants, owning 70 percent of the country's prime farmland.

The reform has seen some 100,000 black families resettled since July last year, with nearly 90 percent of white-owned land earmarked for compulsory acquisition.

The ***Zimbabwe Independent*** reported that Australia was putting up elaborate security arrangements for Mugabe when leaders from the 52 Commonwealth countries meet from October 6-9, fearing human rights activists could stage protests against him.