China and Russia have vetoed a US draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would have slapped targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe over his disputed re-election.
China and Russia joined South Africa, Libya and Vietnam in opposing the draft, which would have imposed an assets freeze and a travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his cronies, as well as an arms embargo. Indonesia abstained.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition held a second day of talks in South Africa today.
The talks in South Africa’s Pretoria are ‘talks about talks’. They are aimed at laying the groundwork for fully-fledged negotiations to resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis. They are the first talks since Mr Mugabe claimed he won a new term as president in a 27 June poll, which was widely denounced as a sham.
Nqobizitha Mlilo, the Movement for Democratic Change's chief spokesman in South Africa, said the two sides would continue to discuss conditions needed before fully-fledged negotiations can go ahead.
The MDC laid down conditions it said must be met before substantive negotiations could take place. The conditions include a cessation of all violence, the release of over 1,500 political prisoners, an expanded mediation team including an African Union permanent envoy and the swearing in of lawmakers (as the opposition now controls parliament).
South African President Thabo Mbeki is the region's long-time mediator between the opposition and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ruling party.
South African government officials - though not Mr Mbeki himself - are involved in the discussions at an undisclosed location in Pretoria.
ZANU-PF is represented by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Labour Minister Nicholas Goche, while the MDC is represented by secretary-general Tendai Biti and deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma.
