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UN vote on Zim 'delayed'
11/07/2008 07:26 - (SA)
New York - A Security Council vote on United Nations sanctions against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has been delayed as many members prefer to back South African-mediated talks between the Harare government and its opposition, says its president.
Vietnam's ambassador to the UN Le Luong Minh, who chaired the council this month, told reporters that the United States, which drafted the sanctions resolution, had so far made no attempt to push for a vote on Thursday.
The US delegation had hoped to have a vote late on Wednesday on the text, which would slap for an assets freeze and a travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his cronies, as well as an arms embargo.
Minh said: "There was a request to put to the vote that resolution yesterday. But the request was cancelled. So far we have not received any request to schedule a vote on that yet.
He said Vietnam and several other council members believed "we should support the good offices efforts by regional countries and regional organisations".
"We have been seeing efforts under way by the African Union and the 14-nation Southern African Development Community and we think those efforts should be supported," Minh said.
Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition held talks in South Africa on Thursday for the first time since Mugabe won the June 27, one-man run-off election - boycotted by the opposition and widely seen as lacking legitimacy.
- AFP
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Zimbabwe Special Report
