Security Council to vote next week on Zimbabwe sanctions

The United States said today it expects the U.N. Security Council to vote next week on new sanctions against the rulers of Zimbabwe, where longtime president Robert Mugabe was re-elected in a disputed election. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he submitted a formal proposal for asset freezes and travel bans on Mugabe and 11 members of his government, and for an embargo on arms sales to Zimbabwe, according to the Reuters international news service. "We expect a vote on the resolution sometime next week," Khalilzad said, according to Reuters. Mugabe was re-elected in a June 27 run-off after a campaign marked by violence against supporters of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who pulled out of the voting because of the attacks. Western nations have been pressuring Mugabe to negotiate, but the opposition Movement for Democratic Change has rejected calls for a unity government like the one installed in Kenya. Tsvangirai won the first round of voting in March. Security Council members South Africa, Russia and China are against sanctions, Reuters said. Russia and China are among the five nations with veto power on the 15-nation council.