U.S. presses Zimbabwe on election monitors

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States pressed Zimbabwe on Monday to allow in large numbers of Western election monitors for a free and fair presidential runoff and said government attacks on the opposition must stop.

The State Department's top diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, said the United States also wanted Zimbabwe's government to give security guarantees to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to enable him to come home for the runoff.

"Right now the conditions are not there for a free and fair run-off but certainly we hope that the conditions can be put in place," Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told reporters.

Zimbabwe says Western election observers are not welcome, particularly from nations such as the United States that have imposed sanctions against Harare. Previously, election monitors have been allowed in from the regional group SADC.

"It (the runoff) would have to include a massive number of monitors that could go out into the rural areas," said Frazer, who did not give estimates for how many monitors were needed.

The runoff date has not been announced yet and Frazer said one fear was that very little notice would be given and there would not be enough time to get sufficient observers in place.

After weeks of uncertainty, Tsvangirai said at the weekend he would contest the run-off against President Robert Mugabe even though he believes he won outright in the first round in March and accuses the ruling ZANU-PF of vote-rigging.

Tsvangirai said he would only participate if international observers and media were given full access to ensure the vote is free and fair.

Frazer said there must be an end to "state-sponsored violence" against the opposition and greater transparency of the poll, including allowing in the world's media.

"Some type of security and guarantees for Morgan Tsvangirai's safety certainly should be a necessary condition for holding a runoff," said Frazer.

The United States has sought support from Zimbabwe's neighbors and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned the presidents of Zambia, Tanzania and Botswana on Friday to ask them to use their leverage with Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been criticized for his "soft diplomacy" with Mugabe, visited Harare for talks with the 84-year-old president last week.

"We certainly do hope that he (Mbeki) made it very clear to President Mugabe that the violence has to end, that the human rights violations have to come to an end and we hope that he pushed for allowing international monitors in a runoff," said Frazer.

The U.S. State Department has not had any direct contact with Mugabe since the March 29 poll.

"He has been selective over who he will talk to in terms of answering his phone. Very early on, after March 29th we made an effort to speak to him but we have not been able to reach him," said Frazer.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming; editing by David Wiessler)