Brown demands UN sanctions against Mugabe

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he hoped the United Nations Security Council would now agree to fresh sanctions against Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe.

Speaking on the final day of the G8 summit in Japan, Mr Brown said the leaders gathered there had been united in their disgust at the violence being meted out in Zimbabwe against the opposition.

He said the package of proposed sanctions agreed on Tuesday night by the G8 leaders included targeted measures against 14 named individuals associated with the regime as well as an arms embargo.

Mr Brown said: "There should be no safe haven and no hiding place for the criminal cabal that now make up the Mugabe regime."

He added: "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."

Mr Brown said that while the resolution was drafted by Britain and the US "we believe we will gain considerable support for it".

Mr Mugabe was the only candidate in the June 27 run-off election after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out. He cited state-sponsored violence against candidates and supporters of his Movement for Democratic Change party.

Earlier, Zimbabwe's state media reported that Zanu-PF, Mr Mugabe's ruling party, and the MDC were to resume talks under the mediation of South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Mr Tsvangirai has said the opposition will not participate in any negotiations until Mr Mugabe's government halts political violence against his supporters and accepts that he won the election in the first round of voting on March 29.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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