(NEWZIMBABWE) Lift sanctions, Lesotho PM tells EU, US

Lift sanctions, Lesotho PM tells EU, US
17/08/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

LESOTHO Prime Minister Motsoahae Thabane has called for the unconditional removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union and the United States. Addressing the 32nd Ordinary Summit of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit in Maputo, Mozambique Friday, Thabane said the region was united in calling for the removal of the sanctions.

"Despite limited relaxation of sanctions by countries of the European Union on Zimbabwe, we must continue to call for the lifting of all sanctions against Zimbabwe," he said. Thabane said the region has always stood together to prevent externally imposed solutions to regional problems and should continue to do so in Zimbabwe.

"Our region has consistently stood together to reject external solutions that seek to undermine the hard-earned political and economic independence of Zimbabwe," he said.

The sanctions were imposed more than a decade ago over allegations of electoral fraud and human rights abuses.

[Editorializing. And of course untrue. Read ZDERA. - MrK]

President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party insist Britain pushed the imposition of the sanctions to punish Zimbabwe for its land reform programme.

The Zimbabwean leader also blames the sanctions for the country’s economic problems.

[As do I, based on the macro-economic data and the national currency. Looking at the timing of the collapse of the Zimbabwe Dollar in the year 2002 when ZDERA came into force, I would say the conclusion is inevitable that the credit freeze caused the start of world record hyperinflation in 2002, not in 1999 when the so-called farm invasions started. Read more about the macro-economic data, the ZDERA related timing of the collapse of the Zimbabwe Dollar, the rising export surplus and the rising tobacco exports the year ZDERA came into force here. ZDERA Section 4 C put a credit freeze on the Zimbabwean government that froze the Zimbabwean government out of international financial markets - this is what led to the collapse of the Zimbabwe Dollar, which led to the collapse of the economy. Retaliation, not landreform. (Not once in the history of the world has land reform caused world record hyperinflation. World record hyperinflation always comes from financial manipulation, through legislation like the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 and the Versailles Treaty. - MrK]

Both the EU and the US as well as countries such as Australia New Zealand have indicated they are prepared to remove the sanctions on conditions the country organises free and fair elections.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold fresh elections next year to replace the coalition government which has been in office since 2009.