US to spend seven million dollars to monitor Zimbabwe election

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States said Monday it will spend seven million dollars to help international observers ensure that presidential elections due at the end of the month in Zimbabwe are free and fair.

"We are going to contribute seven million dollars to the election observer effort," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

The money is "not only to ensure that there are proper, sufficient numbers from countries that are going to supply the observers, but that they have the resources to do their job on the ground," McCormack said.

A draft statement being prepared for a EU-US summit in Slovenia said the European Union and the United States will call on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to send a team to Zimbabwe to monitor human...