Ban Ki-moon: Tsvangirai's decision to quit "understandable"
Monday, 23 Jun 2008 20:27
Ban Ki-moon calls for end to violence in Zimbabwe
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The UN secretary general said he regretted Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to withdraw from the
Zimbabwe run-off elections but it was "understandable".
Ban Ki-moon said he was "very distressed by the situation" but understood Mr Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the presidential run-off elections following violence in the country.
Mr Tsvangirai, opposition leader in Zimbabwe, is currently staying at the Dutch embassy in Harare seeking refuge from the violence.
"There has been too much violence, too much intimidation. A vote held in these conditions would lack all legitimacy," Mr Ban said in response to Mr Tsvangirai's withdrawal.
The violence in Zimbabwe has consequences for the security of the region as a whole, Mr Ban said, calling for an end to the violence.
Mr Ban added: "This situation is more than an internal situation. This has implication beyond Zimbabwe's borders. The stability of Zimbabwe and the
African Union is at stake."
He said that many leaders have suggested greater UN involvement in the situation and said his envoy on the ground "remains ready".
Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said he will negotiate with president Robert Mugabe on the condition the violence against his supporters stops.