Dear Friends

The current mailing contain the interim statements of the main observer missions to Friday’s elections in Zimbabwe, as well as updates from the UN Security Council and 6 other statements of relevance to Zimbabwe.
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) Election Observer Mission delivered its interim statement at a press conference at 9 am on 29.6.08. The statement concludes that :
The current atmosphere prevailing in the country did not giver rise to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections
Conditions should be put in place for the holding of free, fair, credible elections as soon as possible in line with the African Union Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections
In the interim the PAP mission calls on the SADC leaders working together with the African Union to engage the broader political leadership in Zimbabwe into a negotiated transitional settlement.

The SADC Election Observer Mission (EOM) which was also delivered on 29.6.08. The SADC EOM concludes:
The process leading up to the presidential run-off elections held on 27 June 2008 did not conform to SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
The elections did not represent the will of the people of Zimbabwe .

Zimbabwe was also the focus at the UN on 30.06.08. At the Security Council it was the last day of the USA Presidency. At his last informal comments to the Media as the President of the Security Council the Permanent Representative of the United States , H.E. Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad commented on their Presidency this month concluding that they had two major successes, the discussions on violence against women and the statement on Zimbabwe last week. He informed that the follow up to the non compliance of Zimbabwe to recommendations of this resolution was on its way. In the Q&A with the press 4 of 6 questions related to Zimbabwe .

Further, the Security Council today discussed “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”. In presenting this to the Media, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom , H.E. Sir John Sawers, the press again focussed their questions on Zimbabwe , with 5 of 10 questions being on Zimbabwe . The two media briefings can be heard on: http://www.un.org/webcast/sc.html

The Daily Noon Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General also refers to Zimbabwe and can be heard at http://www.un.org/webcast/pressbriefing.htm The Zimbabwe part focuses on the Deputy Secretary General’s statement to the AU Summit, where she says that the situation in Zimbabwe constitutes the single greatest challenge to the situation in Southern Africa, not only because of its humanitarian situation but also from the political precedence it sets. It also refers to the Secretary General’s disappointment over the election going ahead on Friday, in conditions that were not free and fair in a deeply flawed process that did not reflect the will of the people. In reference to the AU Summit the spokesperson of the Secretary General says that this is a moment of truth for the African Presidents meeting in Egypt . The Zimbabwe part is from 1 minute 20 to 3 minutes 20 of the 12 minute press briefing.

Of other statements today we include two member organisations’ statements:

Women of Zimbabwe Arise, (WOZA) issued a news update on 30.06.08, regarding the arrest of another of their members in Bulawayo this weekend.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) released an Alert Update on 30.6.08 concerning the release of journalists in Zimbabwe which can be viewed on the MISA website at http://www.misa.org/

Other statements on Zimbabwe today include:

- The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has issued the attached province by province comparison of election results for Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai in the March 29 Harmonised Election and the June 27 run-off Presidential election.

-Veritas produced the Bill Watch 26/2008 of 29.6.08 which includes, amongst other things, the results of the 3 by-elections which also took place as well as the results of the Presidential run-off elections.

- The African Civil Societ groups issued a News Stastement on 30.6.08 ahead of the AU Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt there is a call on the AU to investigate human rights abuses in Zimbabwe .

- On 30.6.08, the International Trade Union Confederation affiliate Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union, said that the Zimbabwean elections were ‘neither free nor fair’. The full statement can be seen at
http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article2257