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(HERALD) ‘Zim, EU in frank talks’

‘Zim, EU in frank talks’
Herald Reporter

The Inter-ministerial delegation to the Zimbabwe-European Union re-engagement dialogue yesterday had a frank meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission Lady Catharine Ashton.

Speaking on the phone from Brussels, Belgium last night Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the meeting with Lady Ashton, who is also the High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy was basically the major highlight of their journey.

"We had very open, frank exchanges of views and our team, the threesome of us, we are going to meet early next week, preferably on Monday, to discuss the exchanges we have made with a view to reporting to the three principals," he said.

Minister Chinamasa, who travelled to Belgium with Regional Integration and International Co-operation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma, said the delegation had earlier in the morning met the European Commissioner for Development Mr Andris Tiedalgs.

"We then had another meeting with the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade from the Netherlands, Roderick van Schreven. This was not a planned meeting. He asked for the meeting when he heard we were in Brussels and drove with his team from The Hague.

"The meeting with the Dutch was something different, they wanted to talk to us about the Dutch farms that were acquired for resettlement and we said we would forward their concerns to the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement," he said.

Meanwhile, the inter-ministerial delegation is expected back in Harare today.

Speaking to The Herald after the meeting, Minister Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the engagement had been "productive".

She, however, also declined to discuss further details of the meeting. "We are already on our way back home, but I can confirm that the dialogue went on well and we actually had fruitful discussions. We are going to issue a full statement on Monday after briefing our principals," she said.

She said they discussed removal of the ruinous economic embargo. "We discussed much on that issue and, in fact, that is the reason why we came here. But I cannot tell you now what we agreed on," she said.

Labels: EU, PATRICK CHINAMASA

posted by MrK @ 4:43 PM