The British prime minister said today his country deplored the escalating violence against opposition supporters in Zimbabwe a month after elections there and called for a United Nations mission to inspect human rights abuses.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is seeking an arms embargo on President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party, said Britain would step up diplomatic efforts ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the former British colony.
"The coming days will be critical. We will intensify international action around a UNSC discussion on Tuesday. We will press for a UN mission to investigate the violence and human rights abuses," he said in a statement.
"The whole international community must speak up against the climate of fear in Zimbabwe."
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has said it won the March 29th parliamentary and presidential elections, and a partial recount ordered by Mr Mugabe confirmed it had pushed ZANU-PF into second place in parliament for the first time in 28 years.
However, the official results of the presidential vote have still not been released despite the fact Mr Mugabe has called for a re-run.
"If there is a second round, the international community will insist that there are international monitors deployed and SADC and AU principles upheld," Mr Brown said.
"I welcome the positions taken by the UN Secretary General, by African leaders, by Europe, by the US and by all those who want to see a return to democracy in Zimbabwe.
"We, and others, stand ready to help rebuild Zimbabwe once democracy returns. I pledge that Britain will be in the vanguard of this effort," he said.