Britain joined the UN secretary general and the chairman of the African Union in raising the crisis in Zimbabwe at a summit of Security Council and African leaders yesterday despite efforts by South Africa to focus on other issues.
"No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President (Robert) Mugabe has won" the March 29 elections in Zimbabwe, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the summit.
No results have so far been announced from the presidential vote in the southern African country, a former British colony.
"A stolen election would not be a democratic election at all,"
Mr 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."
South Africa, current president of the Security Council, scheduled the summit to discuss cooperation between the UN and the African Union. It did not include Zimbabwe as an official topic but many Western countries had said they would raise the issue.
"I am deeply concerned at the uncertainty created by the prolonged non-release of the election results in Zimbabwe," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the gathering.
"Absent a transparent solution to this impasse, the situation could deteriorate further with serious implications for the people of Zimbabwe," he said. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chaired yesterday's summit, has insisted that the situation in Zimbabwe is not a crisis and can be resolved through the Southern Africa Development Community, which has avoided a tough stand.
Without mentioning South Africa or SADC by name, Mr Ban made it clear that he was not satisfied with this approach.
"The Zimbabwean authorities and the countries of the region have insisted that these matters are for the region to resolve but the international community continues to watch and wait for decisive action," Mr Ban said.
Mr Ban has said he will meet with a number of leaders on the sidelines of yesterday's meeting to discuss Zimbabwe.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, whose country chairs the AU, praised the SADC for doing a "tremendous job... to ensure that the will of the people of Zimbabwe is respected."
Mr Mbeki made no mention of Zimbabwe or any specific African conflicts in his opening remarks, focusing instead on a general need to boost cooperation between the AU and Security Council in Africa to improve peacekeeping operations.
The Security Council is not expected to take any action on Zimbabwe because of resistance from South Africa and other council members. But any discussion of the issue at the meeting helps to boost the pressure on Robert Mugabe, Western diplomats say.