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| UN chief urges Harare poll delay | UN chief urges Harare poll delay |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Zimbabwe's presidential elections should be postponed following the withdrawal of the opposition candidate. | UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Zimbabwe's presidential elections should be postponed following the withdrawal of the opposition candidate. |
| Speaking ahead of a Security Council meeting in New York, Mr Ban said Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to pull-out of the 27 June run-off was understandable. | Speaking ahead of a Security Council meeting in New York, Mr Ban said Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to pull-out of the 27 June run-off was understandable. |
| He condemned the campaign of violence and intimidation by government forces as "against the spirit of democracy". | |
| Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai took refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare. | Earlier, Mr Tsvangirai took refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare. |
| A Dutch foreign ministry spokesman said Mr Tsvangirai had spent the night at the embassy as he feared for his safety but had not requested asylum. | A Dutch foreign ministry spokesman said Mr Tsvangirai had spent the night at the embassy as he feared for his safety but had not requested asylum. |
| 'Too much violence' | |
| Mr Ban said reports that more than 60 supporters of Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party were arrested at its Harare headquarters were an example of the violence. | |
| "Conditions do not exist for free and fair elections right now in Zimbabwe," he said. | |
| "There has been too much violence, too much intimidation. A vote held in these conditions would lack all legitimacy." | |
| He said the world had witnessed "fear, hostility and blatant attacks" against Zimbabwe's people. | |
| After discussing the issues with a number of African leaders, he said he strongly advised President Robert Mugabe's leadership to postpone the election until the right conditions were in place for people to vote freely and fairly. | |
| Mr Ban added that what happened in Zimbabwe had significance beyond its borders and was the "single greatest challenge to regional stability". | |
| 'Next step' | |
| Bert Koenders, the Dutch Development Co-operation Minister, told the BBC that Mr Tsvangirai would stay at their Harare embassy for the timebeing. | |
| "I think he feels very safe, he's quietly preparing himself for the next steps he has to take," he said. | |
| "I'm sure that he's thinking exactly about the issues that have been just raised by the secretary general, which is making clear that these elections cannot be legitimate at present. | |
| President Mugabe and Zanu-PF blame the opposition for political violence across the country. | |
| The MDC won the parliamentary vote in March, and claims to have won the first round of the presidential contest outright. | |
| According to official results, Mr Tsvangirai led but failed to gain enough votes to avoid a run-off. |