Zimbabwe: Russia, China bar Mugabe proposed sanctions

(SomaliNet) Rejecting US efforts to step up punitive measures against President Robert Mugabe\'s authoritarian regime after a widely discredited presidential election, Russia and China barred proposed sanctions on Zimbabwe\'s leaders on Friday.

Agencies say Western powers mustered nine votes, the minimum needed to gain approval in the 15-nation council. But the resolution pushed by the Bush administration failed because of the action by two of the five veto-wielding permanent members.

The other three nations with veto power - the US, Britain and France -argued that sanctions were needed to respond to the government-sanctioned violence and intimidation against opponents of Mugabe before and after Zimbabwe\'s recent presidential election.

Zimbabwe\'s opposition party reported on Friday that at least 113 of its members have been killed in political violence since March.

The proposal would have imposed an arms embargo on the southern African nation and an international travel ban and a freeze on the personal assets of Mugabe and 13 other officials. It also called for a UN special envoy for Zimbabwe to be appointed.

In addition to dodging sanctions, Mugabe \"will be coming\" to the UN General Assembly in September, said Zimbabwean UN Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said sanctions would have taken the UN beyond its mandate by having it interfere in a country\'s domestic political disputes and \"artificially elevating them to the level of a threat\" to international peace and security.

Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya, whose nation is one of Zimbabwe\'s major trading partners, also expressed fears of nation-tinkering and said Zimbabwe should be left to conduct its own talks on how to resolve its political crisis.

\"The development of the situation in Zimbabwe until now has not exceeded the context of domestic affairs,\" Wang said. \"It will unavoidably interfere with the negotiation process.\"

South Africa, a neighbour to Zimbabwe, that holds one of the council\'s non-permanent seats, led the opposition to the sanctions, arguing that Zimbabwe is not a threat to international peace.

Supporters of the resolution had counted Burkina Faso\'s Ambassador Michel Kafando as the crucial swing vote. \"As a means of exerting pressure, it could help,\" he said of the sanctions resolution before the vote.

They also had counted on - and expected - Russia and China to abstain because of the depth of the crisis in Zimbabwe.

\"They read the situation wrong,\" Zimbabwe\'s Chidyausiku said. \"It\'s the arrogance of the Americans. They think they can rule the world. They can\'t.\"

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the vetoes by Russia and China were \"disturbing\" and he also chided South Africa for \"protecting the horrible regime in Zimbabwe\" and helping Mugabe \"to fragment the opposition.\"

\"China and Russia have stood with Mugabe against the people of Zimbabwe,\" he said.

\"The U-turn in the Russian position is particularly surprising and disturbing. Only a few days ago the Russian Federation was supportive of a G-8 statement which said, and I quote, \'We express grave concern about the situation in Zimbabwe.\"\'

\"The Russian performance here today raises questions about its reliability as a G-8 partner.\"

In London, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband criticised the veto, saying that \"it will appear incomprehensible to the people of Zimbabwe.\"

Voting for the resolution were Belgium, Britain, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, France, Italy, Panama and the United States. Voting against were China, Libya, Russia, South Africa and Vietnam. Indonesia abstained.

The dispute between the opposition and Mugabe\'s party has grown more bitter since Mugabe claimed victory in a June 27 presidential runoff election in which he was the only candidate. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the race because of widespread violence against his supporters.

The council\'s vote put an end for now to efforts to apply more international pressure on Mugabe\'s regime and force it to share power with Tsvangirai. - Sapa-AP