U.N. Security Council to take up Zimbabwe vote

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council will hold its first session on the post-electoral crisis in Zimbabwe next week and South Africa will not oppose it, South Africa's U.N. envoy said on Friday.

Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo of South Africa said someone from the U.N. secretariat would brief the 15-nation council, probably on Tuesday, on developments in Zimbabwe.

"We in South Africa, speaking in my national capacity, are not opposed to the briefing," said Kumalo, who is currently president of the council.

Diplomats have said that South Africa was reluctant to have the Security Council take up the issue of Zimbabwe, since President Thabo Mbeki has been trying to avoid putting too much pressure on Zimbabwe's government.

A Western diplomat on the council said Britain had requested the meeting and that the council was unlikely to take any action in the form of a statement or resolution.

But the diplomat said the meeting would be useful in ratcheting up pressure on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to release the results of the March 29 vote.

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe of trying to steal a presidential election Tsvangirai says he won. He has also called for Mbeki to be replaced as the chief mediator with Harare.

South Africa has argued that the problems in Zimbabwe do not represent a threat to international peace and security and therefore are not an appropriate matter for the council.

Kumalo made clear he still had reservations about involving the Security Council.

"We wonder what value it could add," he said. "We are all frustrated by the fact that the (election) results are not coming out of Zimbabwe.

"We're all frustrated that the situation is in a deadlock and we think the way to resolve it is precisely what is happening now -- where the countries of southern Africa are assisting the electoral commission in Zimbabwe to count these votes and make a decision once and for all."

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)