UN Considering Sanctions Against Zimbabwe

(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.