Rice calls African leaders to discuss Zimbabwe

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned the presidents of several of Zimbabwe's neighbors on Friday in a bid to get them to use their influence to help resolve the political impasse there.

The United States has been trying to build regional support for democratic change in Zimbabwe, where violence has deepened a crisis following a disputed presidential election in March.

While "fundamentally" it would be up to Zimbabwe's opposition to decide how it wanted to proceed, neighboring countries could play an important role, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"Whatever the decision is about how to move forward, it's it's going to need the support and encouragement of neighboring countries," as well as other interested countries, including the United States and former colonial ruler Britain, McCormack said.

Rice called Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, as well as former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, McCormack said.

The United States, as well as other western countries, has repeatedly called on African states to do more to end the political impasse in Zimbabwe, which also suffers from 80 percent unemployment, chronic food and fuel shortages and the world's highest inflation rate.

A possible run-off has raised concerns the ruling party will launch more violence to ensure 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe wins. He has been in power since 1980.

Rice wanted to "get a sense from leaders in the region who really have some deep insights into the situation and how it might go forward," McCormack told reporters.

"I think everybody's concern is that the will of the people is expressed in the form of the government that leads Zimbabwe ... And I'm not going to dismiss any particular possible means to achieve that outcome, you know, other than to add, as we always do, that violence serves nobody's purposes," McCormack said.

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, says he won the March election outright and has yet to give a final answer on whether he will participate in a run-off election. If Tsvangirai does not contest, Mugabe will automatically win.

McCormack did not say why Rice did not call mediator and South African leader Thabo Mbeki, who met Mugabe on Friday. Mbeki's "soft diplomacy" approach toward Zimbabwe's crisis has drawn criticism at home and abroad. (Editing by Eric Walsh)