South Africa's president, under increasing pressure both at home and abroad to take a tougher stance on the post-election crisis in Zimbabwe, said Wednesday the only way for mediators to break the impasse is to continue talking with both the government and the opposition. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from U.N. headquarters in New York, where president Thabo Mbeki spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of African Union and U.N. Security Council members.
South African President Thabo Mbeki, 16 Apr 08
Mr. Mbeki said South Africa has been dealing with the question of Zimbabwe for some years, not just since the March 29 election, and that they have always said the solution to Zimbabwe lies in the hands of the Zimbabwean people. "Therefore, in our engagement with the situation we need to talk continuously with both the ruling party and the opposition. Because it is them that has to agree about their country to say where do we go," he said.
Mr. Mbeki also denied press reports that he had refused to call Zimbabwe's problem a "crisis". "I've heard that story about me saying there is no crisis in Zimbabwe, but I don't know where this story came from. I never said any such thing," he said.
African Union and Security Council member states met at the U.N. on Wednesday to discuss enhancing cooperation in the fields of peace and security, but at times the theme was overshadowed by the situation in Zimbabwe.
The United States, Britain and France expressed their growing concern about the failure of Zimbabwe's election commission to release the results of the March 29 presidential election.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (l) and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations, 16 Apr 2008
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had the harshest criticism, saying no one believes that Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe won the vote.
"No one thinks having seen the results at polling stations that President Mugabe has won this election. A stolen election would not be a democratic election at all. As the Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] has said, the credibility of the democratic process depends on there being a legitimate government," he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call for the speedy release of election results and said the international community would continue "to watch and wait for decisive action."
But the situation in Zimbabwe was conspicuously absent from the remarks of most African delegates.
South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, has resisted the idea of taking up the matter in the council, because it says it is being dealt with by the Southern African Development Community.
Ban Ki-moon
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remarked on the post-election situation in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, expressing concern about the failure of the election commission to release the results. He believes the delay could have "serious implications" for Zimbabwe's people.


At a summit in New York City, which was attended by the UN Security Council and African Union leaders, Ban said the international community is waiting for "decisive action" from the governments of southern Africa. "Absent a transparent solution to this impasse, the situation could deteriorate further with serious implications for the people of Zimbabwe," he said. "The credibility of the democratic process in Africa could be at stake here."

Ban said the UN is willing to help the Southern African Development Community resolve the crisis, and added that a possible second round of elections would have to be conducted fairly and transparently, in the presence of international observers.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed with the Secretary-General's remarks. He called on the international community to put more pressure on Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who has been accused of rigging the election. 

"No one thinks, having seen the result at the polling stations, that President Mugabe has won this election," Brown said. "A stolen election would not be an election at all. The credibility of the democratic process depends on there being a legitimate government."

The summit was chaired by South African President Thabo Mbeki, who insisted on Saturday that there was "no crisis" in Zimbabwe. Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa's ruling ANC party, disagreed with Mbeki, saying that "the situation is more worrying now given the reported violence that has erupted."