United Nations
23 June 2008
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on Zimbabwe's governmentto postpone Friday's planned run-off presidential election, saying avote held in the current conditions would lack all legitimacy. FromUnited Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer hasmore.
Mr. Ban called on President Robert Mugabe to halt theviolence and intimidation that has gripped the country in the wake ofthe contested March 29 presidential elections.
Thesecretary-general said conditions do not exist right now for a free andfair vote, and urged the authorities to postpone Friday's plannedrun-off election, saying it would only deepen divisions within thecountry.
"There has been too much violence; too much intimidation," he said. "A vote held in these conditions would lack all legitimacy."
OnSunday, President Mugabe's political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai,announced his withdrawal from this week's run-off election, sayingviolence against his supporters made the poll impossible. He has sincesought refuge at the Dutch embassy in Harare.
Secretary-GeneralBan says he has spoken with a number of African leaders who also agreethat the poll must be postponed. He urged regional organizations to usetheir leadership to bring peace and stability to Zimbabwe, saying thesituation has broad, regional implications.
"The situation inZimbabwe represents the single greatest challenge to regional stabilityin southern Africa today," he said. "The region's economic andpolitical security are at stake, as is the very institution ofelections in Africa."
The U.N. Security Council is meeting lateMonday to discuss Zimbabwe, and will be briefed by the U.N. Chief ofPolitical Affairs.
The council has been divided internally onwhether to get involved in the post-election crisis. Most notably,South Africa - which is helping to mediate the situation - has wantedto keep the issue out of the council, arguing that elections are aninternal matter.
France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert,said he expects the council meeting to be "tense", but that membersrealize Zimbabwe's crisis is no longer an internal matter, but one thatthreatens regional peace and stability.
"It is obvious thatnobody believes it is an internal problem of Zimbabwe anymore - eventhe people who are most reluctant, let's say, for the Security Councilto deal with the situation - recognize that the situation now is out ofhand," he said.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who holdsthe rotating presidency of the council this month, said ahead of themeeting that he hopes the council will agree to a strong statementassigning responsibility for the crisis to the Zimbabwean government.