Bush says US looking at ways to sanction Zimbabwe

WASHINGTON: President George W Bush on Tuesday said that the United States is looking at ways to punish Zimbabwean leaders after China and Russia blocked sanctions at the United Nations last week.

Bush said that he was "displeased" with China and Russia's actions and added that the US State and Treasury departments "are now working on potential US action."

The US wants to punish Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's authoritarian government for a widely discredited presidential election. Mugabe claimed victory in a widely denounced June 27 presidential runoff in which he was the only candidate.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, later told a Senate hearing that the new US sanctions would target both individuals and government institutions.

She said that the United States is working with European and African countries to exert pressure on Mugabe's government through sanctions. She said that Zimbabwe's economy is oriented toward Europe, which can therefore bring the most pressure to bear.

Frazer criticised China and Russia for their Security Council vetoes.

"Most certainly they enabled Mugabe," she said. But she expressed hope that international pressure could exert sufficient leverage in coming months to persuade Mugabe to loosen his grip on power.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also weighed in today, warning that Southern Africa will face "perennial instability" until the will of Zimbabwe's people is reflected in its government.