By KUNA,
United Nations : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Sunday called opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s withdrawal from the run-off elections in Zimbabwe a “distressing development.” The UN chief and fully agreed with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairman, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, that proper conditions do not exist for such elections at this time and that they should therefore be postponed. The withdrawal “represents a deeply distressing development that does not bode well for the future of democracy in Zimbabwe. The campaign of violence and intimidation that has marred this election has done a great disservice to the people of the country and must end immediately,” his press office said in a statement.
Ban expressed “deep regret” that, despite the repeated appeals of the international community, the government of Zimbabwe has failed to put in place the conditions necessary for free and fair run-off elections originally scheduled for June 27.
That failure, he indicated, led to Tsvangirai’s withdrawal Sunday from the Presidential elections.
The statement added that the Secretary-General has discussed the situation in Zimbabwe with various leaders, including those of the African Union and the SADC and expressed the UN readiness to work with them urgently to help resolve the political impasse in the country.
Tsvangirai explained his withdrawal saying violence and intimidation of his supporters had made a fair vote impossible. This would pave the way to an undisputed victory to long time President Robert Mugabe. The Security Council is scheduled to meet today Monday to discuss the crisis and contemplate some sanctions.