Gordon Brown vowed yesterday to raise pressure on Zimbabwe with European help and denounced a Chinese and Russian veto against UN sanctions as unjustifiable.

The Prime Minister voiced his indignation over the failure of the Security Council vote after pressing European leaders for new sanctions against President Mugabe. He spoke at a 43-nation summit in Paris that led to the creation of a union between Europe and the Mediterranean nations of Africa and the Middle East.

“I do not think the veto by China and by Russia can be easily justified,” he said. “I do not think it can be easily defended, given what we know is happening in Zimbabwe.” He added: “We should not lessen the pressure on this regime. I believe we need to make a transition to democracy as soon as possible.”

Zimbabwe was not on the agenda at the gathering in Grand Palais in central Paris but Mr Brown raised it with Mr Sarkozy, José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, and several other EU leaders.

On Friday Russian and Chinese votes defeated a US-British resolution for a global arms embargo and travel restrictions. After the embarrassing failure, Mr Brown has decided to switch his priority to Europe. The European Union has already imposed EU travel and financial sanctions on 131 individuals connected to Mugabe's regime, under EU measures drafted in 2002. Britain would submit the names of 36 people to be added to the EU's list of Zimbabwe officials.

France, which holds the current EU presidency, is sympathetic to Britain's case and would ensure that Zimbabwe is on the agenda at the next EU foreign ministers' meeting, French officials said.

Britain's proposed sanctions would prevent the regime's family members and relatives from travelling to the European Union and gaining access to money in European accounts. Fourteen named individuals, including Mr Mugabe, were on the UN resolution sponsored by Britain and the US.

In South Africa the collapse of the push for UN sanctions was greeted with satisfaction and a little gloating over Britain's discomfort. If Mr Mugabe was laughing, the blame should be laid at London's door for failing to heed Africa's wishes, one diplomat said.

President Mbeki of South Africa, official mediator for Zimbabwe of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has strongly opposed sanctions against Harare.

There is anger in London at the behaviour of the Russians, who signed up to sanctions at the G8 summit in Japan only a few days before the UN vote and then failed to follow through. Mr Brown has made plain that he would return to the Security Council if the mediation efforts in Zimbabwe fail. Ministers criticised the Security Council for failing “to stand up for the democratic rights of Zimbabweans”.

President Sarkozy decided to put concerns over human rights and democracy aside in launching his scheme for a Mediterranean union.

The arrangement is in effect a recasting of the EU's 12-year-old engagement with the southern and eastern Mediterranean. The old process foundered over the Middle East conflict and old rivalries between the southern states.

Mr Sarkozy's main achievement was to bring together dignitaries from rival nations such as Israel and Syria, Algeria and Morocco and Turkey and Greece. Bashar Assad, the Syrian President and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, declined to greet each other but held indirect talks through Turkey. After meeting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, Mr Olmert said that Israel had never been so close to reaching an agreement with the Palestinians.

Times Recommends

• Plan for 9/11 trial in New York divides the city
• Beijing gets the jitters as Obama flies in
• Potshot Palin settles scores