Russia and China veto U.N. Zimbabwe sanctions

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and China vetoed on Friday a Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe for holding a violent presidential poll that was boycotted by the opposition candidate.

The resolution would have imposed an arms embargo on the southern African country and financial and travel restrictions on President Robert Mugabe and 13 other officials. It would also have called for a U.N. special envoy for Zimbabwe to be appointed.

Nine countries voted for the U.S.-drafted resolution, five -- including veto-holding Russia and China -- opposed it and one abstained in the 15-nation council.

The result represented a failure by the Western bloc to induce Russia and China at least to abstain because of the gravity of the crisis in Zimbabwe. It also sparked angry exchanges between the big powers.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad accused Russia of a "U-turn" from its position at a Group of Eight summit in Japan earlier this week, when Moscow joined a statement backing sanctions against Mugabe's government.

Russia's performance on Zimbabwe "raises doubts about its reliability as a G8 partner," Khalilzad said.

Opponents of the resolution, which also included South Africa, Libya and Vietnam, argued that Zimbabwe was not a threat to international peace and security worthy of a council resolution. They said talks in South Africa between Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition parties should be given a chance.

But British Ambassador John Sawers told the council it had "failed to shoulder its responsibility to do what it can to prevent a national tragedy deepening and spreading its effects across southern Africa."

He called the Russian and Chinese decisions "deeply damaging to the long-term interests of Zimbabwe's people ... (and to) prospects for bringing to an early end the violence and the oppression in Zimbabwe."

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin responded that the resolution was "an ever more obvious attempt to take the council beyond its charter prerogatives and beyond maintaining international peace and security. We believe such practices to be illegitimate and dangerous."

Zimbabwean Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku told reporters after the vote that the Security Council had refused to be "intimidated" by Britain and the United States. "The United Nations has stuck to the Charter," he said.

Voting for the resolution were the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Burkina Faso, Panama and Costa Rica. Indonesia abstained.

FRESH VIOLENCE

In Zimbabwe, the opposition on Friday accused government security forces of murdering a polling agent in fresh political violence that could undermine the talks in South Africa.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from a June 27 presidential run-off poll, citing attacks on his supporters by pro-Mugabe militia. The MDC and Western powers branded Mugabe's landslide re-election a sham.