COMMENT - This is a very important departure from the official narrative. Clearly, the desire to remove President Mugabe and the ZANU-PF itself (I hope they are paying attention) from power, and the reversal of the land redistribution program. These are emblematic of the interests of the European Union in Africa. Neocolonialism, the taking of resources without paying for them. Read the document: "Impact of sanctions and isolation measures with North Korea, Burma/Myanmar, Iran and Zimbabwe as case studies".
EU admits Look East policy effective
Monday, 17 October 2011 00:00
Herald Reporter
THE European Union has said that China's growing links with Zimbabwe have destabilised the effects of its sanctions that are meant to effect a regime change. The European bloc also blamed countries in the Sadc region for refusing to help effect regime change in the country.
The Directorate-General for External Polices of the Union, Mr Luis Nalda, said in the latest EU Parliament publication that the sanctions were aimed at regime change and to reverse the land reform programme.
The publication is titled: "Impact of sanctions and isolation measures with North Korea, Burma/Myanmar, Iran and Zimbabwe as case studies".
Mr Nalda said the sanctions on an arms embargo had failed to work on Zimbabwe.
"This is not only due to the easy accessibility of arms in Africa, but also to China's growing links with Zimbabwe, which extends to arms trade," he said.
Mr Nalda said the EU was not happy with the formation of the inclusive Government because it wanted President Mugabe removed.
"The EU and the most influential regional power, South Africa, follow diverging approaches to the Zimbabwean question," he said.
"While South Africa mediated the current power-sharing arrangement, the EU approach follows a ‘maximalist' logic which regards (President) Mugabe and the Zanu-PF as illegitimate and demands their removal from power.
"In line with this maximalist approach, the EU has offered half-hearted support to GNU, that includes the opposition, but also (President) Mugabe."
Mr Nalda said the sanctions were working to some extent, alleging that they had resulted in the fragmentation of Zanu-PF.
"Zanu-PF leaders cite their personal financial situations as motivation for wanting (President) Mugabe out," he said.
Mr Nalda said that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's advocacy of easing sanctions proved that sanctions were effective.
On assets freeze, Mr Nalda said the objective had been hampered by the slowness in implementation, which gave blacklisted individuals sufficient time to move their resources out of European bank accounts.
Mr Nalda said the visa ban had been criticised due to its incoherent implementation after France and Italy allowed President Mugabe to visit them soon after the adoption of the sanctions.
He acknowledges that the illegal sanctions had restricted the ability of Zimbabwe to access international credit and grants.
Mr Nalda said the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe were in two different legal frameworks.
One of them consists of the suspension of the application of the ACP- EU Partnership Agreement, the Cotonou Agreement, under which development co-operation takes place.
The document also exposes that the EU wanted to influence Sadc to support the imposition of the illegal sanctions, but failed because African power houses like South Africa and Nigeria criticised their imposition.
Some of the illegal sanctions, the documents lists are: arms embargo, embargo on non-lethal military equipment and prohibition on technical or financial assistance related to military activities.
The others are travel ban and assets freeze on members of the Government, persons and entities associated with it, as well as persons whose activities undermine human rights, democracy and rule of law.
The EU suspended the application of the Cotonou Agreement under article 96 with regards to Zimbabwe, a measure which freezes budgetary support and support for develop- ment projects under the 9th and 10th European Development Fund.
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