The United Nations Security Council is discussing what the United States calls "targeted sanctions" aimed at the Zimbabwe government and its top officials.

Michèle Montas, spokeswoman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, told reporters in New York on Thursday that a draft resolution circulated by the U.S. had been discussed in consultations among Security council members earlier in the day.

The U.S. permanent representative to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the press corps at UN headquarters that he expected the council to vote on a resolution next week. Montas declined comment on Ban's views on sanctions.

The sanctions would be directed at "those that are responsible for the political crisis," Khalilzad said, "with the expectation and hope that they will be incentivized to cooperate to resolving the crisis of legitimacy, to creating a government there that represents – genuinely represents, the legitimate representatives of - the people of Zimbabwe."

The U.S. will also be considering unilateral sanctions of its own against Zimbabwe, Sean McCormack, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Wednesday. This followed a directive from President George W. Bush.

The New York Times reported Friday that the U.S. appeared to have won the nine votes necessary to secure passage of its resolution. However, China or Russia could veto it.

A UN correspondent for the newspaper said the sanctions proposed by the U.S. included an arms embargo and "punitive measures" - including a travel ban and a freeze on personal assets - against 14 named individuals.

The 14 included President Robert Mugabe, defence minister Sidney Sekeramayi, justice minister Patrick Chinamasa, security minister Didymus Mutasa, central bank governor Gideon Gono, presidential spokesman George Charamba, military commanders Constantine Chiwenga and Perence Shiri, police commissioner Augustine Chihuri and intelligence chief Happyton Bonyongwe.