Last Updated: Monday, May 5, 2008, 21:29

Ban Ki-moon seeks UN role in Zimbabwe

UN Secretary-General UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he was talking to African states about how the world body could help ensure an election run-off in Zimbabwe is credible and voiced concern at growing violence.

Zimbabwe's opposition MDC has yet to say whether its leader Morgan Tsvangirai would contest a second round against President Robert Mugabe, but has said one condition for doing so might be a UN-led observer mission.

The opposition rejects results showing Tsvangirai failed to beat Mugabe by a big enough margin in the March 29th vote to avoid a run-off and accuses his supporters of a campaign of violence.

But to pull out now would mean Mugabe automatically keeps a 28-year hold on power in his ruined country.

Ban told reporters at UN headquarters he would discuss a possible UN role in Zimbabwe with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who chairs the African Union, and Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who leads southern Africa's regional bloc.

"I have been constantly following and monitoring the situation and discussing how the United Nations and the African Union together can help the Zimbabwean situation reach a very harmonious and credible way," he said in New York.

He said UN monitors and sending a UN envoy to Zimbabwe were both options.

"These are some ideas which I am going to discuss, what would be the practical possible ways at this time," he said.

No date has been set for a run-off yet. By law, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is supposed to set the date within 21 days of the result. But it has the power to extend the period and political observers believe a 40-day period is likely.

MDC officials said party leaders were hammering out conditions they would demand for Tsvangirai's participation in a second round -- including a strong international observer mission and the speedy release of results.

The opposition says the month-long delay in announcing the last result allowed the outcome to be rigged. The official result showed Tsvangirai won 47.9 per cent of the vote to Mugabe's 43.2 per cent.