Britain and the US have condemned Russia and China for vetoing a draft UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe's leaders.
Mugabe promises to "fight" to retain power ...
UN chief sending envoy to Zimbabwe aheadof presidential runoff ...
Georgia demands Russia drop pro-rebel plans ...
The measures had included an arms embargo and a travel ban for Robert Mugabe and 13 of his key allies.
Zimbabwe's UN ambassador said the UK and US had come up with flimsy reasons.
Boniface Chidyausiku said he happy to see what he called the machinations of the two failing.
International security
There has been growing international criticism of Zimbabwe since the re-election of Mr Mugabe in a run-off boycotted by the opposition.
The opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change party say they had faced a campaign of violence by Mugabe supporters, which left dozens dead and thousands injured and forced from their homes.
Russia and China said they opposed the resolution because the situation in Zimbabwe did not threaten international stability.
The US ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Russia's veto raised "questions about its reliability as a G8 partner".
Mr Miliband said Russia used its veto despite a promise by President Dmitry Medvedev to support the resolution, when it was discussed at this week's summit of the G8 group of industrialised nations.
A BBC correspondent at the UN, Andy Gallacher, says the failure of the resolution is a major blow for the United States and Britain.
The UK ambassador said after the vote that the UN had failed in its duty.
"The people of Zimbabwe need to be given hope that there is an end in sight to their suffering," said Sir John Sawers. "The Security Council today has failed to offer them that hope."
However, Russia's ambassador Vitaly Churkin said sanctions would have taken the UN beyond its mandate.
China's Foreign Ministry's chief spokesman Liu Jianchao said sanctions would complicate conditions in Zimbabwe and would not help to encourage the various factions engage in political dialogue and negotiations.
South Africa voted against the sanctions resolution. It is hoping that President Mugabe and the opposition can reach a deal on a power-sharing.
Envoy call
The resolution would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and financial and travel restrictions on President Mugabe and 13 of his top officials.
It also called for a UN special envoy for Zimbabwe to be appointed.
The resolution had the support of nine council members, the minimum required to pass in the 15-member council.
But the veto of any of the five permanent members is enough to defeat a resolution.
Violence in Zimbabwe is said to have increased after the disputed presidential elections.
The MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, won the first round of Zimbabwe's presidential elections on 29 March, but official results gave him less than the 50% share needed to avoid a run-off.
He pulled out of the run-off poll after many of his supporters were targeted, assaulted and even killed, leaving Mr Mugabe to win unopposed in the second round at the end of June.
Since March, the opposition says 113 of its supporters have been killed, some 5,000 are missing and more than 200,000 have been forced from their homes.
What do you think of this move? Are you in Zimbabwe? Do you worry about increased international pressure? Tell us your thoughts by filling in the form below.
(BBC)
<< Back