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By Alice Ritchie, Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush said
Saturday he had directed that sanctions be drawn up against the
“illegitimate” government of Zimbabwe after a run-off vote
boycotted by the opposition.
He said the United States would also be pressing
for “strong action” at the United Nations, including an arms
embargo on Zimbabwe and travel ban on officials from Robert
Mugabe’s regime, following Friday’s “sham election.”
“Given the Mugabe regime’s blatant disregard
for the Zimbabwean people’s democratic will and human rights, I am
instructing the Secretaries of State and Treasury to develop
sanctions against this illegitimate government of Zimbabwe and those
who support it,” Bush said in a statement.
“We will press for strong action by the United
Nations, including an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and travel ban on
regime officials. We will continue to work closely with the African
Union, Southern African Development Community, and other world
leaders to resolve this crisis.”
Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence
from Britain in 1980, was the only candidate in Friday’s run-off
vote. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out after a wave of
deadly attacks on his supporters.
Tsvangirai had beaten Mugabe in the March first
round, but fell short of the majority needed to secure a clear
victory. Government sources said Mugabe is now expected to be
inaugurated for a new term as president on Sunday.
Bush said the international community had
condemned the regime’s “ruthless campaign of
politically-motivated violence and intimidation” during the
elections and made clear Friday’s run-off “was in no way free
and fair.”
He said that “any legitimate government of
Zimbabwe must represent the interests of all its citizens and the
outcome of the March 29 elections,” and said the United States
stood ready to support such a government with aid.
“In the meantime, we will continue to support
the people of Zimbabwe by providing food assistance to more than one
million people and AIDS treatment to more than 40,000 people.”
The current US sanctions against Zimbabwe are
targeted at regime officials, including Mugabe, and Bush directed
officials Saturday to build on the current list of more than 170
people and entities.
For the first time, sanctions could also be
added against the government of Zimbabwe as an entity, White House
spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore told Agence France-Presse.
The move follows an announcement by Britain this
week that it would be bolstering its sanctions against Zimbabwe,
specifically targeting the “cabal” around Mugabe in a bid to
trigger a “peaceful transition” of power.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
earlier Saturday in Seoul that Washington wanted to introduce a UN
resolution next week sending a “strong message of deterrence” to
Mugabe over his alleged intimidation and violence.
Her comments came after the UN failed to agree
Friday on a statement declaring the run-off illegitimate in the face
of South African opposition, merely issuing an oral statement of
regret that the election had taken place.
US officials accompanying Rice said that a draft
resolution being prepared by the United States, Britain and others
would be informally circulated among UN Security Council members at
the weekend.
The United States has also urged heads of state
from the African Union, who are due to meet next week in the
Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, to act.
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