U.N. looking at next steps on Zimbabwe

UNITED NATIONS, June 30 (UPI) -- The next chance for moving ahead in expressing displeasure with the recent Zimbabwean election may rest with the African Union, a U.N. ambassador says.

African Union leaders, who will meet for a second day Tuesday, have an opportunity to issue a strong statement regarding the run-off election, in which Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was the lone candidate, John Sawers, Britain's permanent representative to the United Nations, said during a news conference Monday.

"And we certainly hope that they will take fully into account the level of violence and intimidation that took place in the run-up to the poll (and) the impossibility of the opposition getting a fair hearing," Sawers said.

Mugabe's chief opponent, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew from the race because of escalating violence and intimidation in the run-up to last week's vote. The United Nations and leaders around the world denounced the election but Mugabe ignored their calls to postpone it.

Sawers also noted the United States developed a first draft of a sanctions resolution to be discussed in the coming days.

"We certainly support increasing the pressure on those in Zimbabwe who are responsible for subverting the elections and for creating a climate whereby the will of the Zimbabwean people was discarded, as it was, in Friday's election," Sawers said.