UNITED NATIONS, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council remained divided on the issue of Zimbabwe on Tuesday as Western powers pressed for targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top aides.

　　The United States circulated a draft resolution last week, urging the 15-member body to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and freeze the asset of Mugabe and 11 other senior officials and restrict them from traveling abroad.

　　On Tuesday, the council heard a briefing by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro on the latest developments in Zimbabwe before going into closed consultations over the U.S. draft.

　　PUSH FOR EARLY VOTE

　　Emerging from a council meeting, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday that he expects the council to vote on the draft resolution as soon as this week.

　　The U.S. envoy said that enough votes have been garnered for the draft to be adopted.

　　"Absent a veto, which we do not anticipate, the votes are thereto move forward on this resolution," he said. "I expect a vote on this resolution this week as soon as possible."

　　France's UN Ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, also expressed hope for a vote this week, saying that the cosponsors have secured nine of the 15 votes needed to pass the resolution.

　　"It's obvious there is global support for tougher measures," Ripert said.

　　DIVISION IN THE COUNCIL

　　Khalilzad acknowledged that there are also "differences of view on exactly what should be done," with some members arguing for political pressure only.

　　His Russian counterpart, Vitaly Churkin, told reporters that the UN Charter "does not empower the Security Council to interfere into the internal affairs of a state unless the situation there poses a threat to international peace and security."

　　"There are serious questions in our mind if the situation in Zimbabwe can be characterized as a threat to international peace and security," Churkin said.

　　As for the draft, Churkin said he believes that some elements are "clearly in conflict with the notion of the sovereignty of" a UN member state.

　　The Russian envoy did not rule out the possibility of a veto, saying that the council "should be very careful about setting precedents."

　　"We should make it clear to begin with that the Security Council is not about to enter into the whole realm of mediating elections, or passing judgment on elections," he said.

　　"We must be mindful of the current political process and avoid doing things which may undermine that political process," Churkin added.

　　South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo said that the sanctions will "create more complications" for the settlement of the Zimbabwe issue at a time when the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are spearheading a mediation effort.

　　"Sanctions are not the right thing in Zimbabwe," Kumalo said. "There is a lot of room for political negotiation we must engage so that we can resolve this thing in a political manner."

　　Vietnam's UN Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the council president for July, also voiced opposition to sanctions, saying that they would not be "useful and proactive" to bringing about solutions.

　　"We call upon parties concerned to engage in dialogue and negotiations to find a solution to the political impasse in Zimbabwe," instead of resorting to sanctions, Le said.

　　Le said that some council members are calling for more time to discuss the U.S. draft.

　　So far, the United State and its European allies have yet to ask the council to schedule a vote on the text, which Khalilzad said has remained virtually intact from its original version except for minor changes.

　　The Western powers have pushed the council to adopt unanimous but nonbinding statements condemning actions of violence and intimidation before the presidential election in Zimbabwe.