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Zim 'tops' US, Britain's priorities
15/04/2008 09:06 - (SA)
New York - The United States and Britain will raise the Zimbabwe crisis at a high-level meeting in the UN Security Council on Wednesday despite South African opposition, Western diplomats say.
"We intend to highlight our concern for Zimbabwe," Benjamin Chang, a spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations said. "We will be raising Zimbabwe, among other issues."
The occasion would be a meeting to be hosted by South Africa, which chaired the 15-member council this month, to discuss ways to boost security co-operation between the UN and the African Union.
Chang said the delay in releasing officials results of Zimbabwe's March 29 presidential poll would also be taken up in bilateral meetings during the gathering.
Participants were to include President Thabo Mbeki, his counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Somalia and Tanzania as well as Prime Ministers Gordon Brown of Britain and Romano Prodi of Italy.
SADC leaders wrap up meeting
Another Western diplomat said Brown was also likely to bring up Zimbabwe in his remarks to the council as well as in bilateral meetings with Mbeki and other leaders.
South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said last week that the crisis should not be raised during Wednesday's meeting because it was not on the council's agenda and was best handled by Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
On Sunday, SADC leaders wrapped up an emergency meeting in Zambia with a call on Harare to release the results of the March 29 presidential election.
In London on Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said his government's stance on the issue "remains very, very clear".
He added: "The people of Zimbabwe have voted, they have clearly shown that there is not a majority for President (Robert) Mugabe or his regime, and that there is a pressing need ... for the international community to play a role."
Earlier on Monday, Mugabe's security forces fanned out across Zimbabwe on the eve of a general strike called by the opposition after a judge threw out its bid to force the election results.
Meanwhile Avaaz.org, a global online advocacy network, said it would press Mbeki to "support democracy in Zimbabwe" by flying a 3000-square foot banner above the UN headquarters early on Wednesday morning, calling on the South African leader to convince Mugabe "to respect the will of his people".
- AFP
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