(PARIS) - European governments are looking at a raft of sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe was elected in a vote denounced as a sham, French officials leading the EU presidency said Tuesday.

The new measures could include broadening visa restrictions and asset freezes on members of Mugabe's entourage, said French foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier on the first day of the French presidency of the 27-nation bloc.

The European Union last toughened sanctions against the Mugabe regime in 2007, slapping visa bans on members of his inner circle and an asset freeze.

Governments are now considering adding names to the EU's blacklist of 131 people, topped by Mugabe and his wife Grace, who can no longer indulge in regular shopping trips to London.

"European consultations are under way, including today on a technical level to look at the full set of measures to be considered so that Europe faces up to its responsibilities," said Chevallier.

"There is a full raft of options that are being looked at," he said.

But EU governments appear to have rejected a proposal by Italy to recall all European ambassadors in Harare to protest the runoff on Friday that was boycotted by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

"Many countries, who have a firm stance in refusing to recognise the election outcome, nevertheless do not think that recalling ambassadors would be a good solution," said Chevallier.

Mugabe, 84, was sworn in for a sixth term after being declared the winner with more than 85 percent of the vote in a race observers said was marred by violence and voter intimidation.

The United States announced on Monday that it was preparing a draft sanctions resolution to present to the UN Security Council in the coming weeks.

Among the steps under consideration were a travel ban on regime officials, economic sanctions aiming to starve the regime of money, and possibly an arms embargo.

EU sanctions could be extended to persons involved in recent violence and others in the entourage of people who are already targeted by sanctions, said Chevallier.

The foreign ministry official also suggested that the European Union was not considering a trade embargo, saying Europe would act "carefully so that the sanctions regime does not punish the people who have already much suffered."

The EU's executive, the European Commission, described Mugabe's election victory as an "exercice in power-grabbing" that cannot be recognised.

EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel called on the African Union to intervene and help find a political solution to the Zimbabwe crisis.

Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba said the West can "go hang" over its criticism of the election, as he met with African Union officials in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt on Tuesday.

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