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Obama in touch with Tsvangirai
25/06/2008 07:33 - (SA)
Washington - White House contender Barack Obama said on Tuesday he had spoken with Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and demanded co-ordinated US-African action against the Robert Mugabe regime.
The Democrat said he had contacted Tsvangirai "to share my deep concern for the way his supporters are being targeted by the regime, and to express my admiration for his efforts to ensure that the will of the Zimbabwean people is finally respected."
Obama welcomed a UN Security Council statement that condemned violence in Zimbabwe and called for President Mugabe's government to postpone a presidential run-off vote due to go ahead on Friday.
Tsvangirai abandoned the ballot on Sunday and, expressing concern for his safety, took shelter in the Dutch embassy in Harare.
"The United States and the international community must be united, clear and unequivocal: the government of Zimbabwe is illegitimate and lacks any credibility," Obama said.
The Illinois senator called for stepped-up US sanctions and stronger diplomacy in concert with African nations to bring about new elections that are free and fair.
"If fresh elections prove impossible, regional leaders backed by the international community should pursue an enforceable, negotiated political transition in Zimbabwe that would end repressive rule and enable genuine democracy to take root," he said.
- AFP
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US Elections Special Report
