MOSCOW, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said Friday that the engagement of third countries in the settlement of Zimbabwe's problems may be harmful, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

    "Parties to the conflict have agreed to start dialog, so it is inexpedient to engage third states," Wetangula told a press conference after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov." That may be harmful for the dialog."

    "We believe that results of the Zimbabwean elections did not mirror the will of the people. The Sharm El Sheikh summit elaborated the common African position: it is necessary to hold negotiations and settle Zimbabwean problems peacefully. We favor direct negotiations between the conflicting sides," the minister said.

    "Any additional steps of the African Union should promote rather than slow down the settlement process. In this case, the UN Security Council did not help measures planned by the African Union," he said.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that the UN Security Council would have set a "dangerous precedent" by adopting the resolution on Zimbabwe put forward by some Western nations.

    Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution in the UN Security Council on July 11 that would impose sanctions on Zimbabwe over the country's presidential run-off election in late June.

    The failed text calls for a travel ban and an assets freeze on President Robert Mugabe and his top officials, as well as an arms embargo.