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U.S., EU to call for U.N. monitors in Zimbabwe: text
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should send a team to Zimbabwe to monitor human rights and prevent abuses, the United States and the European Union will say at a summit on Tuesday, a draft statement shows.
"We urge the United Nations Secretary-General to send a team immediately to monitor human rights and to deter further abuses," said the final draft of the communique to be issued at the summit in Slovenia.
"We call on the government of Zimbabwe immediately to cease the state-sponsored violence and intimidation against its people that has occurred since the March 29 presidential and parliamentary election," said the text, obtained by Reuters.
Tension is mounting in Zimbabwe before the June 27 run-off of the presidential elections. It follows a disputed March poll where official results showed opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai fell short of the absolute majority needed for outright victory.
"A free and fair presidential run-off is critical to the resolution of the ongoing crisis," said the draft, prepared ahead of U.S. President George Bush's last summit with the EU.
The Zimbabwean opposition and rights groups accuse veteran leader Mugabe's ruling party of trying to rig the election by intimidating voters, undermining the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and thwarting its campaign efforts.
Police detained Tsvangirai twice last week as he campaigned in the rural southwestern province of Matebeleland. He was released on Friday a few hours after being stopped by armed police at a roadblock. Six MDC lawmakers have also been arrested since the first poll.
(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark John)
