HARARE—A United Nations envoy met Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday to discuss the political crisis and the violence marring campaigning for this month's presidential election run-off.
The visit of Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios is the first by a senior U.N. official for three years and comes at a time of growing international pressure on Mugabe over the June 27 vote.
"He met the president to discuss the technical requirements for holding the election, to see what the U.N. can do to help build capacity for a free and fair election," a U.N. official said.
Mugabe, 84, faces the Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai in the election. The opposition leader won the first round in March, but without enough votes to secure an outright victory, official results showed.
Mugabe has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980 and is fighting to keep power despite a desperate economic crisis that has brought hyperinflation and food shortages and driven millions of Zimbabweans to seek work abroad.
Tsvangirai, Mugabe's Western critics and human right groups accuse the veteran leader of orchestrating a violent campaign to intimidate MDC supporters and leaders ahead of the election.
A Zimbabwe High Court judge dismissed an application to release MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti after police failed to bring him to court to face a treason charge. Biti was arrested at Harare airport on Thursday as he returned home.
"I am not satisfied that the application has demonstrated that what he is calling continued detention is unlawful," judge Samuel Kudya said.
Prosecutors said they were now ready to bring him to court on Wednesday.
'Step Down'
Tsvangirai has been detained and released repeatedly during the election campaign. The MDC says at least 66 opposition activists have been killed by militia from Mugabe's ZANU-PF since the March elections.
Mugabe blames the opposition for the violence, which has caused concern in the region, whose leaders fear the consequences of a meltdown in Zimbabwe.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who has been sharply critical of Mugabe, said in Washington that a free and fair election was impossible while Mugabe controlled the electoral process and Tsvangirai was in and out of jail.
The international community should insist that Mugabe step down, Odinga said, adding that the situation was an embarrassment to the continent's efforts to promote democracy.
Namibian Prime Minister Nahas Angula also voiced concern and said southern African countries would double the number of observers monitoring the run-off compared with the first round.
"There should be observers everywhere in Zimbabwe," Angula told reporters in Helsinki.
The head of the Pan African Parliament observer mission, Marwick Khumalo, said the group had heard "horrendous" reports of violence, in contrast to the run-up to the March election.
"It is unfortunate that violence has come up in this manner. Instead of focusing on the smoothness of the electoral process as happened in March, violence has taken over," he told reporters.
Britain and the United States urged Mugabe this week to allow a broader international observer mission. Monitors from countries critical of Mugabe have been banned from observing the election.
Mugabe threatened on Monday to arrest MDC leaders over the violence, and has vowed the opposition party will never rule Zimbabwe. He has said his supporters are ready to take up arms to prevent Zimbabwe from falling under the control of the country's white minority and Western powers.
A government minister dismissed speculation the election might be cancelled to avoid the risk of a Tsvangirai win.
"The run-off is going to take place on the 27th of June, so focus on that and the results coming immediately after that date," Emmerson Mnangagwa, who heads the rural housing and social amenities ministry, told a news conference in Maputo.
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