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, and called for a U.N. special envoy for Zimbabwe to be appointed.

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

The result marked a failure by the Western bloc to induce Russia and China to at least 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 told the council.

Opponents of the resolution, which also included South Africa, Libya and Vietnam, argued that Zimbabwe was not a threat to international peace and security -- the qualification for council action.

They said imposing sanctions over an election was interference in Zimbabwe's internal affairs and called for current talks in South Africa between the country's ruling and opposition parties to 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."

Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters before the vote Beijing could not accept the language of the resolution and wanted dialogue between Zimbabwe's parties, "so to adopt such a resolution at this time would not be helpful."

FRESH VIOLENCE

Zimbabwean Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku said the Security Council had refused to be "intimidated" by Britain -- former colonial ruler of Zimbabwe -- 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.