The leaders of the world's most powerful nations have declared they will impose financial and other sanctions on leaders they describe as "those individuals responsible for violence" in Zimbabwe.
In a statement issued by the G8 Summit in Toyako, Japan, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States effectively rejected the government of President Robert Mugabe as illegitimate.
"We do not accept the legitimacy of any government that does not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people," the leaders said. Referring to this year's first round of elections in which Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won the most votes, they added: "It is important that any mediation process respect the results of the March 29, 2008 election."
They accused the ruling Zanu-PF party of "systematic violence, obstruction and intimidation" ahead of the second round of voting on June 27.
The leaders also issued an implicit call for the Southern African Development Community's mediation, led by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, to be widened to include other mediators. The MDC accuses Mbeki of bias towards Mugabe.
The G8 called on the African Union and SADC to "provide strong leadership," including taking measures aimed at "further strengthening the regional mediation process." The leaders also called for the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to appoint a special envoy to support the efforts of SADC and AU.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was reported earlier to have opposed sanctions. But Reuters quoted him Tuesday as saying that "even Russia" now supported them.
"The others' views let me see how it's necessary today to declare ... the illegitimacy of Mugabe's position and therefore to indicate the urgency of sanctions at the UN Security Council," Berlusconi said.
The United States said last week it expected a vote on sanctions at the Security Council this week.
