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Russia slams UK, US criticism
12/07/2008 19:02 - (SA)
Moscow - Russia on Saturday slammed as "unacceptable" British and US criticism which questioned its reliability as a partner in the G8 after its UN Security Council veto on further sanctions against Zimbabwe.
"Representatives of the United States and Britain have declared that our vote betrayed the G8 Tokyo summit accords on Zimbabwe and that this posed questions about Russia's reliability as a partner in the G8," government spokesperson Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement.
"We consider such statements unacceptable."
He said the Group of Eight's declaration on Zimbabwe made no mention of such a move at the Security Council, adding: "It is the presentation in New York of an inadequate draft resolution which is contrary to the collective approach."
On Friday, Russia and China vetoed targeted UN sanctions on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe over his disputed re-election.
It was the first such double veto since January 2007, but marked just the latest in a series of tussles between Washington and Moscow over world affairs.
US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said it was a "disturbing" U-turn for Moscow, noting that just days ago, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev backed a G8 statement at a summit in Japan promising new actions against Zimbabwe.
He said it raised questions about Moscow's "reliability as a G8 partner".
'Dangerous precedent'
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said opposition to the US draft resolution, which would have imposed an assets freeze and a travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his political allies, as well as an arms embargo, would be "incomprehensible" to the people of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off last month after the main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that killed dozens and injured thousands.
Tsvangirai had earlier won the first round but fell short of a majority, according to the official results.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the Russian foreign ministry condemned the violence but warned the proposed UN resolution would have set a "dangerous precedent" for interference in countries' internal affairs.
UN sanctions "would have created a dangerous precedent, opening the way for Security Council interference in the internal affairs of states in connection with one or another political event... which is a gross violation of the UN charter," the ministry said.
While condemning violations by both sides in Zimbabwe's election period, it said "the situation in Zimbabwe does not threaten either regional - let alone international - peace and security".
"We are convinced that the solution to Zimbabwe's internal problems - and they certainly exist - should be sought through political dialogue between the Zimbabwean government and opposition," the statement said.
Zimbabwe's government on Saturday thanked the countries that opposed sanctions and praised South African President Thabo Mbeki in particular.
Mbeki is trying to mediate between Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change but has faced criticism, in particular from Britain and the United States, for not being more outspoken against Mugabe.
- AFP
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