U.N. vote on Zimbabwe sanctions seen next week

By MacDonald Dzirutwe

HARARE (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it expects the U.N. Security Council to vote next week on sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and top aides in response to last week's widely condemned election.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters after a closed-door council session he formally submitted the U.S.-drafted resolution, which also calls for an arms embargo against Zimbabwe, to the full 15-nation council.

"We expect a vote on the resolution sometime next week," Khalilzad said.

Mugabe won re-election in a June 27 run-off ballot after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the voting because of attacks on his supporters.

Western powers, led by the United States and Britain, are exerting heavy pressure on Mugabe to negotiate with the opposition. But the veteran leader may have room to maneuver.

Security Council diplomats have said South Africa, Russia and China oppose the idea of sanctions, though they said it was not clear if Moscow and Beijing were prepared to use their veto powers given the wide condemnation of Mugabe's re-election.

In a telephone interview with Reuters, South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo indicated he could not back the U.S. draft, saying the very premise of the resolution was faulty.

"The biggest challenge of the resolution is the premise that the problem of the election is a threat to international peace and security," he said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, the designated mediator in Zimbabwe, is under fire in the region and at home for what is seen as ineffective mediation that favors Mugabe.

Some analysts say Mugabe has embarked on a strategy of wearing down his opponents and of only making concessions to gain breathing space that could delay a resolution to the crisis for years.

Tsvangirai on Wednesday rejected talks on a unity government, saying Mugabe must first end the violence against his supporters and accept him as the rightful election winner.

US EMBASSY

The deadlock will make life even tougher for Zimbabweans who face the world's highest inflation rate and food and fuel shortages. Millions have fled to neighboring countries.

More than 200 victims of Zimbabwe's election violence were seeking refuge in the U.S. embassy in Harare on Thursday.

Embassy spokesman Mark Weinberg said about 230 opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters were sitting outside the compound hoping for food and a safe place to stay.