Italy urges world leaders to act on Zimbabwe
KYOTO, Japan (Reuters) - The international community must take action to quell the chaos and violence in Zimbabwe if African leaders fail to address the crisis, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters during a gathering of the Group of Eight wealthy nations in Kyoto, Frattini criticized the African Union for not putting enough pressure on President Robert Mugabe ahead of his one-man election on Friday.
"The credibility of the United Nations and the African Union and the Southern African Development Community is at stake here. I take note of the rather tepid reaction of the African Union," he said.
"If there isn't an African reaction, then the international community should think about other measures and sanctions.
African leaders have condemned the chaos in Zimbabwe, and on Wednesday a security committee of the Southern African Development Community urged postponement of Friday's vote after the opposition candidate withdrew.
Mugabe, 84, rejected the idea and said the run-off election would go ahead.
The United Nations Security Council should be ready to discuss such measures, Frattini told reporters after a series of bilateral meetings and a working dinner with other G8 foreign ministers.
Representatives of Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Britain, Russia, Japan and the United States are meeting in Japan's ancient capital for two days to discuss global security issues ranging from the Afghan conflict to North Korea's nuclear program.
Zimbabwe's political situation has landed on the agenda amid mounting global pressure on Mugabe, who is clinging to power as his country's economy collapses and its people are engulfed by violence.
Frattini said it would be premature to discuss further sanctions since they were likely to hurt Zimbabwe's already suffering people, but added that the international community should not exclude additional measures.
Current sanctions against Zimbabwe, such as a European Union visa ban on Mugabe and a group of top officials, target the country's elite to avoid causing more pain for ordinary Zimbabweans.
Critics have said that regional leaders such as South African President Thabo Mbeki, the designated regional mediator in Zimbabwe, have been too soft on Mugabe.
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who withdrew from the electoral race on Sunday and took refuge in the Dutch embassy, has challenged Mbeki to take urgent action to end the crisis.
(Editing by Rodney Joyce)
