Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution in the UN Security Council on Friday that would impose sanctions on Zimbabwe over the country's presidential run-off election in late June.

South Africa, which is mediating Zimbabwe's political crisis, Libya and Vietnam also voted against the draft while Indonesia abstained.

Voting with the United States were Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Panama, Bukina Faso, Croatia and Costa Rica.

The failed text calls for a travel ban and an assets freeze on President Robert Mugabe and his top officials, as well as an arms embargo.

Opponents of the resolution argued that sanctions would undermine the mediation efforts of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community and endanger the negotiation process between the Zimbabwean government and the opposition.

They also said that the Zimbabwean issue arises from an internal dispute and therefore does not fit into the purview of the Security Council, which, as authorized by the UN Charter, should deal with threats to regional or international peace and security.

The problems in Zimbabwe "can not be resolved by artificially elevating them to the degree of a threat to international peace and security," Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council.

"The council's application here of enforcement measures under chapter 7 of the UN Charter has no foundation and is excessive," Churkin said. "Moreover, this draft is nothing but the council's attempt to interfere into the internal affairs of a state, which is contrary to the UN Charter."

"The use or threaten to use sanctions lightly is not conducive to solving a problem," Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said.

"More importantly, the development of the situation in Zimbabwe till now, has not exceeded the context of its domestic affairs and it does not constitute a threat to the world peace and security," Wang said.

A resolution adopted at a time when "the situation in Zimbabwe is highly complex and sensitive" will "unavoidably interfere with the negotiation process and lead to the further deterioration of the situation," Wang noted.

In remarks before the vote, Zimbabwe's UN Ambassador B.G. Chidyausiku said that his country did not pose a threat to international peace and security.

"By attempting to coerce Zimbabwe into a certain form of behavior through the force of sanctions and isolation, the West has actually created an aggrieved nation," Chidyausiku said.

South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said the recent African Union Summit did not call for sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Instead, the summit "appealed to states and all parties concerned to refrain from any action that may negatively impact onthe climate for dialogue," Kumalo said.

Those voting for the sanctions, however, including United Kingdom ambassador John Sawers, denied that it was an attempt to undermine the current negotiations.

"We have supported (South African) President Mbeki's mediation efforts, but we have to be realistic; those efforts have so far come to naught," Sawers said.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad expressed his disappointment at the veto of the draft resolution which would give "Mr. Mugabe an incentive to negotiate seriously."

The draft resolution also demands that the Zimbabwean government "begin without delay a substantive dialogue between the parties with the aim of arriving at a peaceful solution that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people and respect the results" of the first round presidential elections held on March 29.

Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round but did not take 50 percent of the vote that would be required to avoid a run-off, which Tsvangirai later decided not to take part, citing violence against his supporters.

Mugabe succeeded in the June 27 vote with an overwhelming majority and then was sworn in as president.

Immediately after the disputed vote, the Security Council passed a nonbinding statement saying that the conditions for free and fair elections did not exist.

With the help of the AU and SADC, the Zimbabwean government and opposition officials met for the first time in South Africa on Thursday to try to find a way out of their country's political crisis.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2008)