A draft resolution submitted to the UN
Security Council Thursday calls for the imposition of an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and a freeze of assets and ban on travels of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and
his associates.
The draft was being studied by legal experts of the 15-nation council and a
vote could be expected next week, US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said.
He said the crisis in Zimbabwe has challenged the council's ability to command
respect of democracy and free and fair elections.
"There is a crisis of legitimacy that has continued, and this crisis not
only impacted the people of Zimbabwe and the region, but also the credibility
of the council," Khalilzad said.
"We want to respond to the situation in a way that would encourage a
response to the situation and resolve the crisis of legitimacy without
negatively impacting on the people of Zimbabwe," he said.
The six-page draft asks the council to condemn Mugabe's decision to proceed
with the runoff elections last Friday despite calls for a postponement and the
violence that marred the elections. It says "scores" of people were
killed while thousands were injured or displaced.
Mugabe won the runoff as the sole candidate after his opponent, Morgan
Tsvangirai, withdrew from the race and took refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare in an effort to protect himself and his supporters from further violence.
The draft asks Mugabe to begin immediately a political dialogue with all
parties in order to arrive at a peaceful solution that will "reflect the
will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the March 29 elections." The
first round of voting on March 29 was won by Tsvangirai, but it failed the
required majority for a victory. A runoff was declared for June 27, with Mugabe
declared the winner.
The draft demands an end to violence and the resumption of activities by
international relief organizations, which were suspended by Mugabe in June.
It calls on UN members to prevent the direct or indirect sale or transfer of
arms of all types, military vehicles and equipment, and spare parts.
It calls on UN members to prevent the entry into or transit through their
territories, and a freeze of assets belonging to Mugabe and 11 other Zimbabwean
officials. It charges Mugabe with being responsible for activities that
"seriously undermine democracy, repress human rights and disrespect of the
rule of law."
The other individuals include Constantine Chiwenga, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Patrick
Chinamasa, Perence Shiri, David Parirenyatwa and Didymus Mutasa, who are
charged with directing the violence against political opponents. Gideon Gono,
the Reserve Bank Governor, is charged with being responsible for funding
repressive state policies.
If approved by the council, the sanctions sought by the US and Britain and likely supported by other European members on the council like France would represent the first arms embargo against Zimbabwe.
Diplomats attending Thursday's closed-door session in which the text was
submitted made no comment.
China has been known for selling arms and ammunitions to Zimbabwe and one of its ships carrying weapons for Zimbabwe was not allowed to dock in a South
African port in March to unload its cargoes when violence raged against
political opponents in Zimbabwe.
China, like other council's permanent members, has veto over UN resolutions.
But it had supported resolutions against Iran's nuclear programmes despite its
huge commercial investment in Iran's oil and gas fields, dpa reported.
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