(04 July 08 - RV) The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote next week on sanctions
against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe after last week's widely condemned run-off
election.
Mugabe won a June 27th run-off ballot after opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai pulled out of the voting because of attacks on his supporters.
President
Robert Mugabe has said that he would like South African leader Thabo Mbeki to continue
mediating between Zimbabwe's rival political parties.
However, Mbeki has been
widely criticised, including inside South Africa itself, for what is seen as ineffective
mediation that favours Mugabe.
Dennis Benton of the Zimbabwe Vigil says that
even if the UN Security Council is not able to pass sanctions, it must recognize the
critical role that the South African President must play in negotiating a final resolution
to the crisis.