EU ambassadors struck an agreement "in principle" today to extend sanctions against Zimbabwe, but the deal still has to be finalised at a new meeting next week, diplomats said.
The EU's Greek presidency will in the meantime seek commitments from African countries that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will not attend an EU-Africa summit in Lisbon in April, said the sources.
The accord however paved the way for Mr Mugabe to travel to Paris later this month for a Franco-African summit. "There was a green light from all member states. Nobody opposed it outright," said one diplomat.
The European Union imposed a 12-month visa ban on Zimbabwe's leadership last February, as violence flared in the run-up to a presidential poll widely condemned as rigged.
The renewal of the sanctions has been blocked on the question of waivers from the travel ban on Mr Mugabe and 71 senior Zimbabwean officials. Two previous attempts have failed to resolve the row.
Diplomats said today that the ambassadors agreed to renew the sanctions against Zimbabwe, and also struck an accord on the terms of waivers.
But the Lisbon summit, scheduled for April 5th, remains the sticking point. Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark are fiercely opposed to Mr Mugabe being allowed to attend the April gathering.
AFP