US Calls for Stronger International Action on Zimbabwe | Voice of America - English
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for stronger international action against political repression in Zimbabwe during a meeting at the U.N. Thursday.  Zimbabwe has seen increasing violence and the intimidation of opponents of President Robert Mugabe ahead of next week's runoff presidential election.
SecretaryRice told an informal meeting of the 15 members of the SecurityCouncil, African nations and some non-governmental groups that thepolitical instability and economic collapse created by the Zimbabweangovernment's actions are destabilizing the entire region. She accusedthe Mugabe government of orchestrating a "campaign of violence andharassment" designed to prevent the country's opposition fromconducting its peaceful election campaign. "Clearly, we have reached a point where broader, stronger international effort is needed," said Rice. Sheurged the Security Council to take up the matter, and she welcomed theefforts so far of the African Union and the Southern AfricanDevelopment Community [SADC] as well as the 14 former Africanpresidents and dignitaries who have called for Zimbabwean authoritiesto allow for a free and fair runoff election on June 27. "Weurge the SADC to increase its pressure on President Mugabe and hisfollowers to stop this violence immediately, to permit the resumptionof humanitarian activities, to allow the election to proceed freely andfairly and to peacefully abide by the results," said Rice. PresidentMugabe has warned that he is prepared to go to war to prevent theopposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) candidate fromgoverning if he succeeds in the runoff election. Thursday'sroundtable discussion was co-chaired by Burkina Faso's Foreign MinisterDjibril Bassolé, who called on the international community to closelymonitor the situation. He said wider involvement is necessary toprevent the violence from escalating and throwing the country into aneven more serious humanitarian crisis that could reach beyond itsborders. Zimbabwe's opposition MDC party says about 70 of itssupporters have been killed, and its leader and presidential candidate,Morgan Tsvangirai, has been detained at least five times this month ashe tried to campaign for next Friday's vote. Secretary Rice saidthe mood among countries attending the meeting was one of"extraordinary concern" and a desire to have President Mugabe hear thatthere is great international concern about what he is doing to hiscountry. The Security Council is expected to have a formal briefing on Zimbabwe next week.