(TALKZIMBABWE) Britain in a classic Catch-22 over sanctions

Britain in a classic Catch-22 over sanctions
Pasipameraziso Chimedzamatore
Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:15:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR - It would be naïve for Zimbabwe to expect the EU to lift sanctions in the near to medium future. Lifting of sanctions by the EU would have a number of implications, among them the need for Britain to accept its responsibility to fund the land reform in Zimbabwe.

It should be recalled that the EU imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe on the instigation of the British Government.

For all intent and purpose, Britain pushed for the sanctions against Zimbabwe as a ploy to run away from its responsibility to fund the land reform in Zimbabwe.

While the situation obtaining in Zimbabwe may logically call for the lifting of the sanctions, as should be the case, the land question that brought about the same sanctions has not been brought to its logical conclusion.

The farmers that “lost their land” will continue to call for compensation and the British will have to be brought to account, of which they are not prepared to.

I sincerely hope that I am wrong to think that as long as the British are not prepared to pay for the “lost land”, the EU sanctions are there to stay for sometime to come.

Remember the EU always act as one, and the British, because they are not prepared to pay for the land reform, will continue to oppose the lifting of sanctions for one reason or another and the EU will have no choice but to maintain them.

Pasipameraziso Chimedzamatore