Bush Calls for Penalties Against Zimbabwe
By Deb Riechmann
Associated Press Writer
June 28, 2008
CBNNews.com - WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday the U.S. was working on ways to further punish Zimbabwe's longtime leader and his allies, saying Robert Mugabe leads an "illegitimate government" that retained power only through a fraudulent election.
Bush directed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to develop new penalties against Mugabe's government in response to the widely denounced runoff election Friday. The African nation's president is accused of using violence to coerce people to vote for him.
Earlier Saturday, Rice said the U.S. plans to introduce a U.N. resolution as early as next week seeking tough measures against Zimbabwe.
"We will press for strong action by the United Nations, including an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and travel ban on regime officials," Bush said. He pledged to work closely with groups in Africa and world leaders to resolve the crisis.
Bush said the U.S. is ready to support a legitimate government with development aid, debt relief, and normalization with international financial institutions. The United States will continue to provide food assistance to more than 1 million people in Zimbabwe and AIDS treatment to more than 40,000 people.
"The Mugabe regime held a sham election that ignored the will of the people of Zimbabwe," Bush said in a statement issued while he spent the weekend at Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
"The international community has condemned the Mugabe regime's ruthless campaign of politically motivated violence and intimidation with a strong and unified voice that makes clear that yesterday's election was in no way free and fair," he said.
Rice told reporters traveling with her to South Korea that the U.S. and Britain could present a resolution to the Security Council as early as Monday. Rice declined to specify what it might say, but said countries must act to halt further intimidation and violence against the Zimbabwe people.
"We've heard of people being threatened that if they did not vote for Mugabe, they'll be sought out for violence or for reprisal, and so there needs to be a really strong message from the international community about what has happened there," Rice said.
She said the U.S. "will use everything in our power in terms of sanctions - appropriate sanctions." But, she added, "It's time for the international community to act.. It's hard to imagine that anybody could fail to act given what we're all watching on the ground in Zimbabwe."
White House spokesman Emily Lawrimore said the Bush administration is considering punishing the government of Zimbabwe as well as further restricting the travel and financial activities of Mugabe supporters. The U.S. has financial and travel penalties in place against more than 170 citizens and entities with ties to Mugabe, she said.
But, as State Department Sean McCormack said in April, "We have worked closely with many in the international community to try to bring pressure on the government in Zimbabwe to change its ways. That has not had much effect."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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