Under threats of UN Security Council sanctions demanded by the United States and Britain, Zimbabwe said Thursday while it's not war with the United Nations such punitive measures would escalate tensions, reported dpa.
The government of President Robert Mugabe told the 15-nation council, which was considering an arms embargo and other sanctions, that the measures would be "especially escalatory and tragic, and would seriously dent the credibility of the esteemed UN Security Council by lining up against the august institution as a force multiplier in support of Britain's colonial crusade against Zimbabwe."
"Zimbabwe's quarrel with Britain is purely bilateral and has no place on the UN Security Council agenda," a letter from Harare said. "Zimbabwe is not war and posses no threat to international peace."
A draft resolution under consideration met resistance from council members South Africa, Vietnam, China and Russia. It is supported by the United States, Britain, Belgium and France, which claimed that the post-electoral crisis in Zimbabwe was a threat to international peace and security, a reason for the council to intervene.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as well as Washington, were pushing for a vote on the draft this week, but opposition from other council members had so far delayed it.
In addition to the arms embargo on Zimbabwe, Mugabe and 13 high ranking Harare officials and the Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono would be banned from travelling abroad and their personal assets would be frozen.
The Harare letter to the council accused the US and Britain of orchestrating a well sustained campaign against Zimbabwe. It said if the sanctions were imposed, it would worsen economic and social hardships in Zimbabwe, which it said was suffering from sanctions from the US, the European Union and the "white commonwealth" countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The letter admitted there had been violence in the country, but those were isolated cases that were blown up in proportions by opposition parties.
Mugabe won the runoff elections on June 27 after his opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew from the race, fearing for his life. dpa tn mf