By MATTHEW LEE, AP
Last updated: 9:28 am
June 30, 2008
Posted: 2:51 am
June 30, 2008
BEIJING - A US-led push to punish Zimbabwe's leadership ran into resistance yesterday from China, which can veto UN penalties sought against its African ally over President Robert Mugabe's claim to re-election.
After talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, China's foreign minister said Beijing favors negotiations between Mugabe, who was sworn in for a new term yesterday, and the opposition.
"The most pressing path is to stabilize the situation in Zimbabwe," Yang Jiechi told reporters at a news conference with Rice. "We hope the parties concerned can engage in serious dialogue to find a proper solution."
"China hopes the international community, African countries in particular, can a play a more constructive role in this regard," he said. "China, as a responsible country, will also play a constructive role in this process."
Yang stuck to a position that China, one of Zimbabwe's chief friends and trading partners, long has held. But his comments came just after Rice spent a significant amount of time making the case for the Bush administration's new push to pressure Mugabe, officials said.
Not much later, in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare, Mugabe was sworn in for a sixth term. Hours before, officials said he had won a runoff. Leaders in Africa and elsewhere condemned Friday's runoff, in which Mugabe was the sole candidate. Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn because of attacks against his backers.
Human-rights groups have said opposition supporters were the targets of brutal state-sponsored violence during the campaign, leaving more than 80 dead and forcing some 200,000 to flee their homes.
Before traveling to Beijing, Rice was in China's earthquake-devastated southwest, visiting some of the tens of thousands of people left displaced by last month's temblor. Rice praised the disaster-recovery effort, saying it contrasted with Myanmar's reluctance to allow in foreign aid after a devastating cyclone.
She was the highest-ranking American to inspect the damage in the Sichuan province, where almost 70,000 people have died.
President Bush said Saturday the United States was working on ways to further punish Mugabe and his allies. That could mean steps against his government as well as additional restrictions on the travel and financial activities of Mugabe supporters.
The United States has financial and travel penalties in place against more than 170 citizens and entities with ties to Mugabe, the White House says.
Bush also wants the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and travel bans on Zimbabwean government officials. Mugabe leads an "illegitimate government" that retained power only through a fraudulent election, Bush said after the runoff. "The Mugabe regime held a sham election that ignored the will of the people of Zimbabwe."
Rice has said the United States plans to introduce a resolution in the council this coming week.
