By Nelson Banya
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe on Saturday welcomed thefailure of a Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution toimpose sanctions over its violent presidential elections,calling it a victory over racism and meddling in its affairs.
Russia and China on Friday vetoed the resolution, whichwould have imposed an arms embargo on the southern Africancountry and financial and travel restrictions on PresidentRobert Mugabe and 13 other officials.
Britain said Russia's veto was "incomprehensible", whileRussia said sanctions would have set a dangerous precedent ofpolitical interference. Russia, China and regional powerhouseSouth Africa said the resolution would have hurt dialoguebetween the ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition.
"We are very happy with the turn of events and would liketo thank those who helped defeat international racism disguisedas multilateral action at the U.N.," Zimbabwean InformationMinister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu told Reuters.
"The principles of non-interference into the sovereignaffairs of a U.N member state have been upheld. What has theU.N got to do with member states' elections?" he said.
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defeatedMugabe in a March 29 presidential election but failed to getenough votes to avoid a second ballot.
Tsvangirai then withdrew from the run-off poll held on June27, citing attacks on his supporters by pro-Mugabe militia. HisMovement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Western powers brandedMugabe's landslide re-election a sham.
NEGOTIATIONS
The MDC is now in preliminary talks with ZANU-PF under theauspices of South African mediators, but refuses to negotiate apower-sharing deal until the government halts the bloodshed inwhich the MDC says 113 of its supporters have been killed.
"The suffering of the Zimbabwean people is worsening everyday and a peaceful negotiated transition is urgently required,"an MDC statement said in response to the resolution's failure.
"The MDC calls upon the African Union to work with(regional group) SADC in establishing the framework in which anegotiated solution can be formulated."
South Africa applauded the U.N. decision, in line with anAfrican Union resolution to encourage negotiations instead.
"It is our considered view that imposing sanctions wouldindeed have impacted negatively on the current dialogue processamong Zimbabwean political parties," it said in a statement.
Millions of people have fled to neighbouring states,including South Africa, to escape an economic meltdown inZimbabwe, which has led to widespread shortages, 80 percentunemployment and inflation economists estimate to be at least 2million percent.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Saturday: "It'llappear incomprehensible to the people of Zimbabwe that Russia... should stand in the way of Security Council action."
Despite the diplomatic setback, Miliband insisted Britainwould keep up pressure on Mugabe. A statement from PrimeMinister Gordon Brown's office said Britain and other EuropeanUnion members would discuss other measures they could take.
The Group of Eight rich nations, which includes Zimbabwe'sformer colonial ruler Britain, the United States as well asRussia, had agreed on Tuesday to impose sanctions because ofthe violence during the widely condemned elections.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, ZalmayKhalilzad, accused Russia on Friday of a "U-turn" from itsposition at the G8 summit, and said it raised doubts about itsreliability as a partner in the group.
Russia hotly denied any policy reversal.
"We consider such statements unacceptable," Russian ForeignMinistry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statementpublished on the ministry's website www.mid.ru.
"Both the U.S. and United Kingdom's ambassadors to theUnited Nations are, in the best case, not informed about thediscussion between G8 leaders in Toyako, or in the worst caseare deliberately distorting facts," Nesterenko said.
Earlier, the ministry said the situation in Zimbabwe was nodanger to international peace and security.
"An adoption of such a document by the U.N. SecurityCouncil would have created a dangerous precedent, opening theway for interference by the Security Council in internalaffairs in connection with certain political events includingelections, which is a gross violation of the U.N. Charter," itsaid.
(Additional reporting by Muchena Zigomo in Johannesburg,Gleb Bryanski in Moscow, Chris Buckley in Beijing and JohnSinnott in London; Writing by Caroline Drees)
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