(TALKZIMBABWE) EU says sanctions lifted if MDC gets more power
EU says sanctions lifted if MDC gets more powerOur reporter
Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:16:00 +0000
EUROPEAN UNION foreign ministers said on Monday that they will revoke sanctions if President Mugabe gives more power to the MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
In a statement issued after its foreign affairs council meeting in Brussels Monday, the EU ministers said the the bloc "stands ready" to keep sanctions "under constant review and to revoke them" if President Mugabe makes concessions towards Morgan Tsvangirai.
The ministers said Zimbabwe had made "insufficient progress with regard to the rule of law, respect for human rights, constitutional reforms, power sharing on equal terms, national reconciliation, security sector reform and the protection of investors."
The fact that the EU is prepared to revoke sanctions if more power is given to Tsvangirai, gives credence to the fact that the bloc is more concerned by a transfer of power in Zimbabwe, than the issues they highlight in most of their statements.
Last month, British foreign and commonwealth secretary David Miliband revealed that the MDC-T "controls some of the (illegal and ruinous) sanctions" against Zimbabwe.
He also said the EU will only lift sanctions if the MDC-T makes that request.
Zanu-PF at its last annual congress in December last year, and at a recent Politburo meeting, resolved not to give in to any more MDC-T demands until all illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe are lifted.
The EU ministers met a week after the bloc extended the illegal sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe for another year to avoid them expiring.
In a gazette last week, the EU announced the extension, but the foreign ministers were expected to deliberate on Zimbabwe much more closely yesterday (Monday).
The inclusive Government of Zimbabwe recently handed a Global Political Agreement Commitment Plan to the bloc.
The lastest statement by the EU is likely to cause consternation in Zanu-PF circles and threaten progress in the ongoing power-sharing discussions in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe and the EU are mending relations which had been strained after a bilateral dispute between Harare and London escalated to include that bloc.
Zimbabwe and the EU launched Article 8 Political Dialogue in Brussels on 18 June 2009 in an effort to normalise relations. This was followed by an EU troika visit to Zimbabwe in September 2009.
Labels: ANGELA MERKEL, EU, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SANCTIONS
posted by MrK @ 5:12 AM
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