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(TALKZIMBABWE) Zimbabwe sanctions: Zanu-PF slams EU’s ‘cheap propaganda’ and ‘arrogance’

Zimbabwe sanctions: Zanu-PF slams EU’s ‘cheap propaganda’ and ‘arrogance’
This article was written by Our reporter on 25 July, at 02 : 33 AM

The Zimbabwean Government has dismissed as a non-event the European Union extension of Zimbabwe sanctions by another year. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi told journalists in Harare yesterday that Government wanted the EU to unconditionally lift the embargo.

He added that the Western bloc is trying to hoodwink the public with its ‘cheap propaganda’ by saying they will ease some of the measures, while in fact they are extending them.

Mumbengegwi also added that the EU does not have the mandate to supervise implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed by President Mugabe and the MDC leaders as a precondition to lift the sanctions.

Minister Mumbengegwi said the GPA was an internal document that has nothing to do with the EU.

“In May, we sent a three-member delegation of the ministerial re-engagement committee which represented all the parties in Government to Brussels at the invitation of Lady (Catherine) Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

“The delegation carried a clear message that Zimbabwe was demanding an immediate and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

“Yesterday (Monday), the EU issued a statement in which they demonstrated that either they did not listen to the demand of our delegation or they did not understand.

“But whatever the case, their statement is just a demonstration of the EU’s arrogance. As we all know, the GPA is an agreement among Zimbabwean parties and the EU is not part of that agreement.

“Now they have arrogated themselves the role of supervising the agreement which they are not party to.

“They have no power or responsibility to supervise our GPA. That is the height of arrogance which is not acceptable,” he said.

Minister Mumbengegwi said anything short of an unconditional lifting of the embargo was not acceptable to Zimbabwe.

He said the sanctions were imposed unilaterally and Zimbabwe stood by its position demanding unconditional lifting of the sanctions.

Minister Mumbengegwi said the EU sanctions were illegal and had received worldwide condemnation from all progressive forces such as the African Union, Sadc, the Non-Aligned Movement and Comesa.

He said more than two million Zimbabweans also made a strong case against the sanctions after signing Anti Sanctions Petition forms in 2010.

“They (sanctions) are illegal in terms of the African Caribbean Pacific and the EU statutes themselves …”

The minister said as long as one person or one company remains on sanctions, Zimbabwe would not be satisfied.

Minister Mumbengegwi said the European bloc was playing cheap propaganda tactics by claiming that it had suspended part of the sanctions regime.

“What is suspension? It is either they are there or they are removed. How can you suspend something which is not there? This is cheap propaganda to try and deceive the people of Zimbabwe and the international community.

“The statement by the EU is totally irrelevant and meaningless,” he said.

“All we did was repossessing our land. Anyone who says that is an offence then obviously they are colonialists and there is no room for colonialists in independent Zimbabwe,” he said.

Minister Mumbengegwi said the fight against sanctions was a continuation of the liberation struggle that Zimbabwe was destined to win.

Former president of the Zimbabwe Union for Democrats Mrs Margaret Dongo said the EU was violating Zimbabweans’ human rights.

“The extension of the sanctions does not make any sense. We have the inclusive Government and the sanctions should have been removed from the first day we entered into the inclusive Government for it to work.

“The EU is not seeing the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans here and there is a lot of hypocrisy surrounding this whole issue.”

She called PM Tsvangirai and his party to lead the call for the lifting of the sanctions as they called for the embargo.

Political analyst Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa condemned the sanctions extension.

He said: “The EU sanctions are an unleashed arrow that is getting even weaker as they search for an elusive target. Ten years ago the original aim was to avert or overthrow national liberation movements and install a puppet neo-colony and reverse land reform.

“Now their purpose change at each new EU meeting as they wither in the face of Zimbabwe’s resilience.”

He said the EU meetings have turned into confusion and cross purpose.

“Terms of debate changed to how we remove them, not how to make them (sanctions) more potent. Confusion is now a new order among EU allies.

“Meanwhile, they lose business opportunities like Marange and Zisco to China, India and other BRICS countries.”

He said the land reforms were permanent and irreversible.

“This EU soft power punch has landed on hard Zimbabwe ground.”

The Herald/TZG

Labels: EU, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, SANCTIONS, SIMBARASHE MUMBENGEGWI, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 1:26 PM