( AFP ) - The United States vowed Monday not to abandon its efforts to press Zimbabwe to stop attacking political foes after the United Nations failed to secure fresh sanctions.
The United States will speak to "like-minded countries, in Europe and around the world, to see what we might do to keep the focus on the issue of Zimbabwe," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
These include the eight other countries that voted for the US-sponsored Security Council draft resolution that failed last Friday because of vetos from permament council members Russia and China.
Voting for an assets freeze and a travel ban on President Robert Mugabe and 13 of his cronies as well as an arms embargo were the United States, Britain, France, Burkina Faso, Belgium, Costa Rica, Italy, Panama and Croatia.
"Part of the idea is to work with like-minded nations, not only to try to influence Zimbabwe, but try to influence those with influence on Zimbabwe and their decision-making apparatus," McCormack said, referring to South Africa.
South Africa, Libya and Vietnam voted against the resolution. Indonesia abstained.
"But we'll continue to talk to the Russians and the Chinese, although they have clearly not expressed the depth of commitment to the issue that we have, and those other eight countries have," the US spokesman said.
"If Zimbabwe continues down this road, it will continue spiraling downward economically, as well as politically," McCormack said.
It was the first double veto by Russia and China since January 2007 when they vetoed a draft resolution in the 15-member council that would have urged Myanmar to ease repression and release political prisoners.
"Countries who voted against it were on the wrong side of history," McCormack said.
Sponsors of the draft said the sanctions were needed to pressure Mugabe into stopping the violence against his political foes and agreeing to a genuine power sharing deal with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off last month after Tsvangirai pulled out, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands.