UK,US urge Mugabe to accept UN rights envoy

Speaking ahead of UN assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Haile Menkerios’ visit to Zimbabwe later on Monday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown accused President Robert Mugabe’s government of stepping up violence and murder against the opposition.
Brown vowed that Mugabe’s government – which he labelled an “increasingly desperate and criminal regime” – should not be allowed to steal the June 27 run-off poll between the veteran Zimbabwean President and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
“In recent weeks, under Robert Mugabe’s increasingly desperate and criminal regime, Zimbabwe has seen 53 killings, 2 000 beatings, the displacement of 30 000 people, the arrest and detention of opposition leaders including Morgan Tsvangirai,” said Brown at a joint news conference with US President George Bush.
“That is why we call for Zimbabwe to accept a United Nations human rights envoy to visit Zimbabwe now and to accept international monitors from all parts of the world who are available to ensure that this is a free and fair election,” added Brown, whose country is Zimbabwe’s former colonial ruler.
Bush promised to work with Britain to ensure that Zimbabwe’s June 27 run-off presidential election was free and fair.
“We will work with you to ensure these good folks have free and fair elections to the best extent possible, which obviously Mr Mugabe does not want to have,” the American leader said.
Tsvangirai starts as favourite to win the run-off poll that is being held because the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party leader defeated Mugabe in the first round election on March 29 but fell short of the margin required to takeover the presidency.
But political violence has marked campaigning for the run-off poll, amid charges by the MDC that Mugabe has unleashed state security forces and ruling ZANU PF party militias to wage violence against the opposition party’s supporters and structures in an attempt to regain the upper hand in the second ballot.
The opposition party says that at least 66 of its members have been killed in political violence over the past two months while several thousands more had been displaced from their homes.
Mugabe denies authorising violence against the MDC, which he says is a puppet of Britain and the West that he says are out to topple him as punishment for his seizure of white-owned farmland for redistribution to landless blacks.
The Zimbabwean leader also accuses international aid agencies of collaborating with the West against his government and two weeks ago suspended all work by the groups that he accused of using aid distribution to campaign for Tsvangirai – a charge aid groups deny.
However, the aid ban has exacerbated hunger in a country where most households – especially the poor in rural areas – now depend on handouts from foreign governments and relief agencies to survive.
Menkerios is expected to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation with Mugabe and to also meet opposition leader during a five-day visit that ends on Friday. – ZimOnline