Deep divisions were apparent on the United Nations Security Council as it discussed the post-election impasse in Zimbabwe for the first time on Tuesday. Western news reports said South Africa led the way in blocking the dispatch of a UN envoy to Harare.
The discussion was held during what the UN characterised as "closed consultations" of the council in New York. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, reported to journalists afterwards that he had given the council a "careful and straightfoward review of the facts as we know them."
The UN's main concern was the fact that election results had not been announced. "We [also] have a great deal of concern about violence," Pascoe added, "particularly if it is run from the government side, but any side - there's been reports of violence on both sides."
The South African ambassador to the UN, Dumisani Khumalo, who chaired the meeting, told reporters that the only issue on which all members appeared to agree was that regional leaders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) "should work with the Zimbabweans, especially with their independent electoral commission, to make sure that the results are coming out."
Beyond that, on issues such as sending a UN envoy or fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe, "there was no agreement."
Pascoe said SADC and the African Union were playing the leading role in addressing the situation, but the UN was willing to help "either... if they decided [on] a follow-on election of some sort, or if they needed our help in any way on the mediation or other areas."
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Ahead of the consultations in New York, a senior South African foreign ministry official came close to suggesting that Britain had brought the issue to the Security Council in a deliberate attempt to embarrass South Africa during its April presidency of the body.
Referring to an occurrence last year, Deputy Director-General George Nene told a media briefing in Pretoria: "I'm sure you are aware that Britain has always tried to make sure that the issue of Zimbabwe comes to the Security Council in this form, as a briefing during our presidency...
"I don't know why they didn't wait for their presidency... We don't know whether there is any motive. Whether it is coincidence or not, it is up to you to judge."
Britain takes over presidency of the Security Council on May 1. The Times of London on Thursday quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying a public Security Council meeting would probably be called in May, after South Africa had led efforts on Wednesday to block the proposal to send a UN envoy to Zimbabwe.
The newspaper said the proposal was supported by the United States, France and other Western nations, which had also called for a moratorium on arms sales to Zimbabwe. South Africa, China, Russia, Libya and Vietnam had opposed any further Security Council action at this stage, and Burkina Faso said that Africa should take the lead.
The New York Times reported that Britain's deputy ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, said Pascoe had spoken in his briefing of "a level of political intimidation and violence that I think many Council members found quite chilling."
