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EU, UN question new Zimbabwe sanctions

EU,UN question new Zimbabwe sanctions
March 15, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium --European Union and United Nations officials on Thursday questioned whether new sanctions against Zimbabwe after a violent crackdown on opposition activists would have any effect in changing the authoritarian ways of President Robert Mugabe. EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel said sanctions against the general population could be counterproductive. "I am not sure they work," he told reporters after holding talks with the U.N.'s Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

"Sanctions have to be weighed very carefully because of the experience that we have had in the past, whereby sanctions have had a counter-productivity against innocent citizens," Migiro said. "This is an experience that has to be taken into account when considering that path."

Michel condemned "very strongly" the attitude of authorities in Zimbabwe in the weekend crackdown against opposition activists. He said they "compromised all rules of law and rules on democracy and human rights."

Police used tear gas, water cannon and live ammunition to crush Sunday's gathering by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, a coalition of opposition, church and civic groups. They also shot and killed one opposition activist and main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai suffered heavy injuries in the crackdown.

The EU already has economic and political sanctions in place against Mugabe, his ministers and top party officials, who the EU believes are responsible for the continuing authoritarian rule in Zimbabwe.

EU governments last month renewed sanctions for another year, including a travel ban against Mugabe to protest his poor human rights record.

The sanctions include a ban on 125 Zimbabwe government officials, ministers and those from Mugabe's Zimbabwe African Union-Patriotic Front party from traveling to the 27-nation bloc.

Labels: EU, SANCTIONS, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 7:05 PM