US press for free, fair polls
2005-10-18 13:40
Zanzibar - United States assistant secretary of state for African affairs Jendayi Frazer arrived on Tuesday in Zanzibar, where the run-up to October 30 polls has seen violence between ruling and opposition party supporters.
Frazer's main purpose "is to reiterate the US position for free and fair elections" in semi-autonomous Zanzibar, said US embassy spokesperson John Haynes.
Frazer was expected to meet Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume, opposition leaders and hold talks with civic organisations before flying to Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, for talks with Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa, Haynes said.
More than a dozen people have been killed and at least 48 have been injured in politically motivated violence in the last eight months, with dozens of homes and offices set on fire.
- AP