Blow to PM as Russia backtracks on Mugabe

GORDON Brown's hopes of having tough new sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe appeared to be unravelling last night, after Russia branded the plans "excessive."

Speaking at the end of the G8 summit in Japan, the Prime Minister said proposed United Nations' sanctions on the regime of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe would mean there was "no safe haven and no hiding place" for his henchmen.

Britain also believed the UN Security Council – which will meet this weekend – was ready to ban arms sales to Zimbabwe and impose worldwide travel restrictions on, as well as freeze the bank accounts of Mr Mugabe and 13 of his aides.

Mr Brown said: "For the first time, we propose a UN arms embargo against Zimbabwe. That would ban the direct supply of arms; that would include weapons, military vehicles and equipment."

But it later emerged that Russia, despite signing up to the G8 statement expressing "grave concern" about the situation in Zimbabwe and refusing to accept the legitimacy of Mr Mugabe's government, was backtracking on UN sanctions.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, told a news conference "no concrete decisions" had been taken on further international action against Harare.

Then, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, suggested measures in the draft Security Council resolution drawn up by the United States and Britain were outside the UN Charter.

"I personally believe that some elements of the draft are quite excessive, in fact incongruous and clearly in conflict with the notion of sovereignty of a state member of the United Nations, so some of these things have to be looked at very carefully," he said.

There are 15 members of the UN Security Council and nine votes are needed for resolutions to pass. But each of the five permanent members – Britain, the US, Russia, China and France – has a veto.

Speaking before Russia backtracked, Mr Brown said the G8 had been united in its condemnation of the violence from Mr Mugabe's supporters following the first presidential election in March – in which the opposition MDC gained a larger number of votes – and the rerun elections last month.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, withdrew from that second poll because of the murder of his party's supporters.

Mr Brown said: "The mood is outrage against what is happening in Zimbabwe, disgust at the behaviour of the Zimbabwe regime, an acceptance by all of them that this is an illegitimate regime that has got blood on its hands.

"We don't expect to get every country to support us on this, but we believe that we can gain sufficient support for this important resolution to be passed in the next few days."

The G8 statement also called for the appointment of a UN special envoy to Zimbabwe – a move seen as a rebuff for the mediation attempts of Thabo Mbeki, the South African president.

South Africa, which currently has a seat on the Security Council, has also come out firmly against sanctions, while the position of China is unclear.

Sir John Sawers, Britain's UN ambassador, said: "I think the Russians will need to think a little carefully about signing up to such a statement one day in the G8, and then blocking something which implements it in the Security Council a day or so later.

"We think it would be unwise for either Russia or China, after what they have said, and given the wider issues at stake, to block what is a very strongly held view, not just in Europe and the United States, but in many countries around Africa."

Medvedev apes Putin with tough talking

DMITRY Medvedev, Russia's new president, has adopted a hardline stance to negotiations that appear to confirm fears of him being a puppet of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

After replacing Mr Putin in May, one of his first tasks was to appoint him as prime minister – allowing him to retain a grip on power.

At the G8 summit this week, the mood of co-operation on a series of subjects, from climate change to international security, has seen Mr Medvedev adopt an uncompromising approach.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, was unable to achieve a breakthrough over oil giant BP's involvement in Russia, the closure of the British Council's offices in Russia or the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi, the man suspected of murdering in London in 2006 the ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

It was their first meeting and Mr Brown said he had "raised all the difficult issues". A Kremlin spokesman described the talks as "extremely frank".

President George Bush has had similar difficulties. Mr Medvedev lashed out at US plans to extend its missile defence shield to Eastern Europe.

The Russian foreign ministry has promised a military response if an agreement signed by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, to locate part of the missile system in the Czech Republic was ratified.