U.N. council to discuss Zimbabwe crisis

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will chair an informal Security Council meeting on Thursday to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe, council diplomats said on Wednesday.

Rice will be in New York to chair a formal meeting of the council on the same day to debate a resolution aimed at combating violence against women.

The United States holds the rotating council presidency for this month.

South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and several other foreign ministers are expected to take part in both, diplomats said, though no formal outcome was expected from the Zimbabwe discussions.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe faces opposition challenger Morgan Tsvangirai on June 27 in a run-off presidential election.

The opposition, Western countries and human rights groups have accused Mugabe's supporters of carrying out a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation ahead of the vote.

A senior U.N. official, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios, is currently in Zimbabwe to discuss the situation. He met with Mugabe on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip)