GORDON Brown yesterday warned that "time is short" for the international community to agree tough sanctions on Zimbabwe and avert a humanitarian crisis.
The Prime Minister hopes a commitment he secured from the G8 summit in Japan will translate into United Nations sanctions against the country's discredited president, Robert Mugabe, and 13 of his henchmen.
Two days of negotiations are under way at
the UN security council in New York but it is feared that Russia or China could use their veto to block financial and travel sanctions and a ban on selling weapons and military equipment to the African nation.
Mr Brown told MPs yesterday that he hoped sanctions – and sending a UN envoy to Zimbabwe – would lead to Mugabe being deposed or forced to stand down. It was "important the whole weight of the international community" supported efforts to force him out.
"I believe time is short for that, so it is important that the UN pass its resolution as soon as possible, and I hope that all countries and all continents will get behind it," he said. "This is an emergency in terms of humanitarian aid."
David Cameron, the Tory leader, praised Mr Brown for putting Zimbabwe at the top of the agenda. "The key is to translate those words at the G8 into an effective UN resolution," he said.
The full article contains 230 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
