UNITED NATIONS—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on a summit of U.N. Security Council and African leaders Wednesday to send a "single clear message" that it stood for democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.
"No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President (Robert) Mugabe has won" March 29 elections in Zimbabwe, Brown told the summit. No results have so far been announced from the presidential vote in the southern African country.
"A stolen election would not be a democratic election at all," Brown said.
"Let a single clear message go out from here in New York that we ... stand solidly behind democracy and human rights for Zimbabwe and we stand ready to support Zimbabweans build a better future."
South Africa, current president of the Security Council, scheduled the summit to discuss cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union, and did not include Zimbabwe as an official topic. But Western countries said in advance they were going to raise the issue of the political deadlock there.
