New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he
planned to raise the situation in Zimbabwe at the UN Security
Council's African summit because of the opportunistic presence of
African and Western leaders attending the meeting.
The unresolved presidential election outcome had not been placed
on agenda of the African summit for Wednesday by council president
South Africa. But South African UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said it
could be placed there if the world's powers want to debate the issue.
'The meeting will provide a natural opportunity to raise the
situation in Zimbabwe,' Ban told reporters. He said he will also
discuss with government leaders ways to help resolve the impasse
threatening the democratic process in that country.
The African summit at UN headquarters in New York is to be
presided over by South African President Thabo Mbeki, whose
mediation in settling the dispute in Zimbabwe's presidential vote
count has been criticized for being biased in favour of President
Robert Mugabe.
Kumalo said Zimbabwe was not on the council's agenda. But he said
the United States, Britain and France, three of the five
veto-wielding permanent members, could raise the issue during the
two-day African debate.
'Those are huge countries,' Kumalo said. 'They can raise whatever
they want to raise and all I have said was that we don't expect
Zimbabwe to be discussed tomorrow (Wednesday). But they can raise
anything.'
Zimbabwe's electoral commission has refused to make public results
of the first round of presidential elections held last month and has
called for a run-off vote. The opposition said it has won the
elections.
Mbeki and the presidents of Ivory Coast, Somalia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and a number of deputy ministers and
ambassadors will attend the council's African meeting to discuss ways
to strengthen the working relationship between the UN and the African
Union.
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