Chicago - US presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Wednesday the international community must do more to try to help resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis, and to put pressure on Robert Mugabe, who is clinging to power.
He singled out South Africa as one country that needs to apply more pressure on Mugabe, 84, who has refused to step down.
"What's happening in Zimbabwe is tragic. This is a country that used to be the bread basket of Africa. Mugabe has run the economy into the ground. He has perpetrated extraordinary violence against his own people," Obama told a news conference in Chicago.
Obama, a Democrat, is running in the November presidential election against Republican John McCain.
'Much more forceful'
"Not only do I think that the United Nations needs to continue to apply as much pressure as possible on the Mugabe government, but in particular other African nations, including South Africa, I think have to be much more forceful in condemning the extraordinary violence that's been taking place there," Obama said.
"And frankly, they have been quiet for far too long and allowed Mugabe to engage in this sort of anti-colonial rhetoric that is used to distract from his own profound failures as a leader," he added.
In the heaviest pressure yet on Mugabe by Zimbabwe's neighbours, a troika of southern African nations urged the postponement of Friday's presidential election which they say would lack legitimacy in the current violent climate.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai took refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare this week after announcing he had pulled out of election because of violence which has killed about 90 people and displaced 200 000.
The government has said it will go ahead with the presidential election despite a storm of international condemnation and calls to postpone the vote.
Election 'a complete and total sham'
"What is remaining of this election is a complete and total sham," Obama said, echoing US President George W Bush.
"I don't think that whatever the results of this election on Friday, that Mugabe will be able to claim any sort of legitimacy as a democratically elected leader in Zimbabwe," he added.
Obama said that before Tsvangirai pulled out of the run-off, he had had a conversation with South African ruling party leader Jacob Zuma and said he "encouraged and urged him to speak out more forcefully on what was happening".
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