But they responded by merely asking for mediation efforts to continue between Mr Mugabe and the opposition; these are led by South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, and have got nowhere.
The result was widely condemned, but African Union leaders meeting in Egypt did not question the legitimacy of the election and asked for mediation talks between Mr Mugabe and the opposition to continue, with the goal of forming a national-unity government.
Added to the threefold sequence (Anna, Mary, Elizabeth) are often words asking for mediation through the merits of the Virgin or saints.
Mr. Pastrana did not ask for United Nations mediation during the talks, instead using peace negotiators from the organization as advisers to the two parties.
Mr. Musharraf, frustrated by India's persistence, accused it of committing "state terrorism" in Kashmir and asked for international mediation.
Talks between Russia and Ukraine were stalemated as Ukraine has asked for European Union mediation, an option Moscow rejected.
Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the airline's 9,500 pilots, have been in contract talks since September 1999 and asked for federal mediation last month.
If mediation brings no deal within 30 days, either side can ask for binding arbitration by a neutral party.
At his meeting in Washington with Obama, Abbas asked for the president's mediation in the release of Marwan Barghouti, the most prominent Palestinian in an Israeli jail.
Brown's representatives, led by Luan Tran and James Lee, learned that Benchmark Capital is a Quinn Emanuel client, and asked for a one-week standstill of litigation; the two parties then underwent two unsuccessful mediation sessions and agreed to another standstill until June 20.
