Japan deplores Zimbabwe election, calls for dialogue with opposition

TOKYO, July 1 Kyodo - Japan on Monday condemned Friday's one-man presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe as ''deplorable,'' with Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura issuing a statement urging President Robert Mugabe's government to promote dialogue with
the opposition and proactively cooperate with international diplomatic efforts.

''Japan...strongly hopes that a government reflecting the national will in a
legitimate manner shall be established as soon as possible,'' Komura said.

The Japanese government also called on the Zimbabwean government to proactively
cooperate with international diplomatic efforts, including those of the
Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the United
Nations, for the normalization and stabilization of the political situation in
Zimbabwe.

Tokyo, however, stopped short of announcing any sanctions against Zimbabwe.

On Friday, foreign ministers of the Group of Eight countries, meeting in Kyoto,
issued an urgent statement reiterating their ''grave concern'' about the
political violence in Zimbabwe and ''strongly'' urged Harare to work with the
opposition for a prompt and peaceful resolution of the crisis.==Kyodo