Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Sanctions will stay, says Britain

Sanctions will stay, says Britain
Ralph Mutema
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:43:00 +0000

BRITAIN has declared that it will not be pressured into lifting the illegal ruinous sanctions it imposed on Zimbabwe until the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) is implemented in full.

Malcolm Bruce, chairman of the House of Commons International Development Committee, gave the British position in a statement issued on the arrival of his delegation in Harare on Monday.

Bruce said the British government has “made it clear that the key to having (sanctions) lifted is for those blocking progress in Zimbabwe to implement the commitments they signed up to."

The news comes days after British Foreign Secretary David Miliband revealed that the MDC party of Morgan Tsvangirai controls some of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Britain, the US and their allies in the West.

Top EU officials are to meet on February 20 to decide whether to extend the sanctions.

Bruce said he and seven other British members of Parliament are in Zimbabwe for four days to assess the "effectiveness of humanitarian aid".

Miliband's statement last month to the effect that London would look to Tsvangirai and his MDC-T formation for guidance on whether the sanctions should be lifted has caused tension in the inclusive Government and stalled power-sharing talks.

Tsvangirai is now under increasing pressure from Zanu PF to call on his allies in the West to lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe illegally.

Labels: DAVID MILIBRAND, SANCTIONS, UK, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 11:35 PM