U.S., EU to call for U.N. monitors in Zimbabwe

By Ingrid Melander

BRUSSELS (Reuters)- The United States and European Union plan a joint call for U.N. monitors to be sent to Zimbabwe after a human rights group alleged systematic government murder and brutality ahead of a presidential vote.

"We urge the United Nations Secretary-General to send a team immediately to monitor human rights and to deter further abuses," said the final draft of a communique to be issued at a U.S.-EU summit in Slovenia on Tuesday.

"We call on the government of Zimbabwe immediately to cease the state-sponsored violence and intimidation against its people that has occurred since the March 29 presidential and parliamentary election," said the text, obtained by Reuters.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said on Monday that a brutal campaign by supporters of President Robert Mugabe had eliminated any chance of a fair presidential runoff election on June 27.

The group said it had documented at least 36 politically motivated murders and 2,000 victims of a campaign of killings, abductions, beatings and torture by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

It said more than 3,000 people had fled the violence which began after March 29 elections in which ZANU-PF lost control of parliament for the first time and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the presidential race.

Official results showed Tsvangirai fell short of the absolute majority needed for outright victory, forcing the runoff later this month.

The summit draft added: "A free and fair presidential run-off is critical to the resolution of the ongoing crisis."