Spotlight turned on Zimbabwe at UN council

By Louis Charbonneau and Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Western states joined the United Nations in urging action to ensure a fair outcome from Zimbabwe's elections but most African nations avoided the issue at a Security Council-African Union summit on Wednesday.

"No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President (Robert) Mugabe has won" a March 29 election in Zimbabwe, said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

No results have so far been announced from the presidential vote in the southern African country, a former British colony.

"A stolen election would not be a democratic election at all," Brown told the summit. "Let a single clear message go out from here in New York that we ... stand solidly behind democracy and human rights for Zimbabwe."

South Africa, current president of the Security Council, scheduled the summit to discuss cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union. It did not include Zimbabwe on the agenda but Western countries had pledged to raise it.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chaired the summit, has insisted that the situation in Zimbabwe is not a crisis and can be resolved through the Southern Africa Development Community, which has avoided a tough stand.

Without mentioning South Africa or the SADC by name, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon indicated to the gathering that he was not satisfied with this approach.

"The Zimbabwean authorities and the countries of the region have insisted that these matters are for the region to resolve but the international community continues to watch and wait for decisive action," Ban said.

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS

One of two African speakers who did mention Zimbabwe was Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, whose country chairs the AU. He praised the SADC for doing a "tremendous job ... to ensure that the will of the people of Zimbabwe is respected."

Last week the SADC decided not to adopt a tough stance on Zimbabwe but Kikwete said it would meet again soon.

Only one of some two dozen other African speakers mentioned Zimbabwe -- Senegal's Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio.

"We should make better use of preventive diplomacy ... as for example with regard to the situation in Zimbabwe, and previously in Kenya during the electoral period," he said. "Unfortunately we as Africans once again answer with a deafening silence which can be heard everywhere."

Reporters asked U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad why he had insisted on raising Zimbabwe. "You cannot have a meeting about Africa and not talk about the crisis of the day," he said.

Like Brown, he said he backed Ban's call for international observers to be deployed in Zimbabwe if a second round of presidential elections were to be held. He suggested that a joint AU-U.N. mission go to Zimbabwe. Italy, France, Belgium and Croatia also expressed concern.