ZIMBABWE/EU: The European Union decided yesterday to impose sanctions against the President of Zimbabwe, Mr Robert Mugabe, if he continues to intimidate political opponents.
Sanctions would also be applied if Mr Mugabe does not allow a team of EU observers monitor the presidential election campaign, or interferes with their work.
The EU is also demanding that the international media be permitted to cover the run up to the election, which takes place on March 9-10th.
Mr Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, said: "Either Mugabe calls off the thugs and allows the media to report freely and lets the people of Zimbabwe make a democratic choice, or he and his ministers will pay the penalty."
The sanctions threatened are a travel ban on Mugabe and 20 individuals from his circle and their families, and the freezing of their financial assets, plus a ban on the export from the EU of arms. Mr Cowen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, said Ireland supported the immediate threat of targeted sanctions, which was the tougher of two options before yesterday's council of EU foreign ministers.
The council was not persuaded by assurances from Harare, given in writing on January 18th, that it would stop the violence, allow free and fair elections and give journalists access. The council "took note" of these assurances but went on to impose the threat of sanctions.
Mr Straw said: "The decision by the EU was clear, unambiguous and unanimous." He said Mr Mugabe was being given just over a week to make his choice.
EU diplomats said the immediate concern was to get international observers and the media into Zimbabwe as soon as possible. But the text agreed yesterday would also allow the later imposition of the sanctions if observers were obstructed, or "if there is a serious deterioration in the situation on the ground, in terms of a worsening of the human rights' situation or attacks on the opposition, or if the election is assessed as not being free and fair". The EU declaration said the Zimbabwean government had done nothing to improve the situation after a series of warnings and consultations. Mr Straw accused the authorities in Harare of stringing the EU along. "There are no positive signs coming out of Harare," he said.
In response to reports from Harare that a team of international observers might be permitted to enter the country if it did not include Britons, Mr Straw said the national composition of an EU team was not important. There were no Britons last time, he said.
The EU foreign ministers also discussed the Middle East. They strongly rejected suggestions from Washington that President Yasser Arafat should be cut out of negotiations.
Mr Cowen said: "President Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people. We don't see how the suggested sidelining of Arafat is in any way going to improve the situation." Mr Javier Solana, the EU's high representative for foreign policy will be carrying that message to Washington on Wednesday, he said.