Photos of Mugabe brutality hit conscience of G-8

Times:

The United States will force a vote this week to place UN sanctions on Zimbabwe's leaders after Russia's new President joined other G8 leaders yesterday in threatening “further steps” against Robert Mugabe's Government.

The decision to force a showdown in the 15-nation UN Security Council followed two impassioned debates at the rich nations' G8 summit at Lake Toya, Japan.

British officials said that Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, used shock tactics to win support for a tough G8 statement refusing to recognise Mr Mugabe's rule. He was said to have pulled fellow leaders aside to show them a horrific photograph of a driver for Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change who was brutally murdered last month. He told them that every day the world failed to act, similar tragedies would follow.

The G8 members Russia and Italy dropped their opposition to sanctions, breaking with the African Union and China.

“We do not accept the legitimacy of any government that does not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people,” the G8 statement said. “We will take further steps, inter alia introducing financial and other measures against those individuals responsible for the violence,” the leaders added.

Mr Brown said: “This is the strongest statement. It shows the unity of the whole international community reflecting the outrage people feel about the violence and intimidation and the illegitimate holding of power by the Mugabe Government.

“What we've agreed is that we will send a United Nations envoy to press for change in Zimbabwe. And what we have also agreed is, financial and other sanctions will be imposed on members of the Zimbabwe regime.

“To bring together Russia, France, Germany, Italy, America and Canada, all the G8 countries, with Japan, in putting this statement forward shows that the whole international community is now not prepared to accept an illegitimate government.”

Zimbabwe's Government called the G8 statement racist and an insult to African leaders....

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China apparently was unmoved by the photo showing Mugabe's brutality to fellow Africans. You would think that other Africans would be moved by such evidence, but that would only be the case if the brutality was by a white government. When a black government does it, it is not a crisis.

The Mugabe thugs had the gall to say the action to help the people of Zimbabwe was racist. What utter nonsense. He also accused the G-8 of undermining Mbeki's efforts, but Mbeki has been so incompetent that his efforts have only produced more murders and beatings by Mugabe's thugs.