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UNITED NATIONS : The United States on Thursday formally submitted a sanctions resolution in the UN Security Council that would target Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 11 of his aides.
US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters here that he hoped that the text, which would also impose an arms embargo on the Harare regime, would be voted upon by the 15-member council next week.
"We have proposed a resolution that would impose targeted sanctions on those who are responsible for the political crisis, with the expectation and hope that they will be incentivised to cooperate (in) resolving the crisis of legitimacy," he noted.
The text would slap an assets freeze and a travel ban on Mugabe, Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and nine others for their role in abetting the state-sponsored violence against the opposition, repressing human rights or undermining democracy.
It would condemn the Harare government's decision to proceed with last Friday's one-man runoff presidential election won by Mugabe "and the campaign of violence against the political opposition, which has resulted in scores of deaths, thousands of injuries... making it impossible for a free and fair election to occur."
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had pulled out of the runoff, saying nearly 90 of his supporters had been killed and thousands injured in violence he blamed on pro-Mugabe militia.
Tsvangirai had defeated Mugabe in the first round of the presidential election on March 29, but official vote totals showed him just short of an outright majority.
The US draft would require all member states to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Zimbabwe "of arms or related material of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment and spare parts."
It would demand that the Harare government "begin without delay a substantive dialogue between the parties with the aim of arriving at a peaceful solution that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed by the March 29 (first-round presidential) elections."
It would direct UN chief Ban Ki-moon to appoint "an individual of international standing and expertise to serve as his special representative... who would support the negotiation process between the political parties in Zimbabwe."
Diplomatic sources said former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who helped broker a power-sharing agreement in Kenya last February, former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano, Nigerian ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ghanaian President John Kufuor were being considered for the mission.
The draft would also demand that Harare "end immediately all restrictions on international humanitarian assistance and support international aid organisations' access to all parts of the country for distribution of food, medical assistance and other humanitarian aid."
The text, which is backed by Britain, France and other European council members, is virtually certain to be watered down as South Africa, the main mediator in Zimbabwe's domestic political crisis, and veto-wielding China, a key ally of Harare, oppose its tough provisions.
Vietnam's Ambassador to the UN Le Luong Minh, who chairs the council this month, said many members need time to consult their capitals on the draft.
He confirmed that the council would revisit the issue during a meeting next Tuesday, although he noted that the format had yet to be agreed.
Khalilzad has proposed that UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro, who attended the just-ended African Union (AU) summit in Egypt, and UN trouble-shooter Haile Menkerios, who unsuccessfully sought to mediate an end to the Zimbabwe crisis last month, brief the council.
On Tuesday, AU leaders capped their summit in Sharm el-Sheikh by adopting a resolution calling for a power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe with the opposition.
But opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has rejected the call, saying it will not solve the country's crisis after Mugabe's widely condemned one-man election. - AFP/de
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