By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - The United States called for urgent U.N.Security Council talks on Zimbabwe because it said PresidentRobert Mugabe had ignored international calls to end politicalviolence ahead of a presidential election run-off.
Zimbabwean police arrested opposition leader MorganTsvangirai twice on Thursday, making a total of four times inabout a week. Tsvangirai's spokesman said the arrests were partof a harassment campaign in the run-up to the June 27 election.
Tendai Biti, secretary general of Tsvangirai's Movement forDemocratic Change (MDC), was also arrested and would face atreason charge that could carry the death penalty, police said.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, accompanying PresidentGeorge W. Bush on a visit to Rome, criticised the "continueduse of state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe and the regime'sactions, including unwarranted arrests of opposition figures".
"We believe the time has come for the United NationsSecurity Council to take up immediately the issue to preventfurther deterioration of the region's humanitarian and securitysituation," Perino told reporters on Thursday.
A group of prominent African leaders joined theinternational chorus for an end to political violence inZimbabwe, once a regional bread basket but now in economicmeltdown.
"It is crucial for the interests of both Zimbabwe andAfrica that the upcoming elections are free and fair," formerU.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and 39 former African headsof state and civic leaders said in an open letter on Friday.
Diplomats said South Africa opposed U.N. Security Councilinvolvement and was receiving support from China and Russia.
POLITICAL UNREST
Zimbabwe has been hit by political unrest since a March 29election in which Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party were defeatedfor the first time since independence from Britain in 1980.
The MDC, the main opposition party, accuses the governmentof organising attacks on its supporters and says 66 of itsfollowers have been killed since March.
Mugabe and ZANU-PF blame the bloodshed on the opposition.
The MDC and other opposition activists say they fearZANU-PF will try to rig the results of the run-off in a bid toextend Mugabe's 28-year rule. The Zimbabwean leader and hisofficials are accused of stealing past elections.
The Southern African Development Community, a grouping of14 nations including Zimbabwe, has sent a team of electionmonitors to Harare. Observers from Western nations critical ofMugabe's government are not being allowed into the country.
The political turmoil has compounded Zimbabwe's economicwoes. Inflation has soared to more than 165,000 percent,unemployment is around 80 percent and food and fuel shortagesare commonplace.
Millions have fled to neighbouring countries in search offood and work.
Mugabe's critics blame Zimbabwe's decline on his policies,including the seizure of thousands of white-owned farms whichthey say has contributed to the collapse of agriculture since2000.
Some of the most fertile farms have gone to leadingsupporters of Mugabe.
(Writing by Paul Simao; editing by Philippa Fletcher andRalph Gowling)
