EU threatens new Zim sanctions

2008-10-13 16:02

Luxembourg - The EU on Monday condemned Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's "unilateral decision" to form a new government and threatened fresh sanctions unless he respects a power-sharing deal.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg slammed, in a joint statement, "the unilateral decision to form a new government which has not been agreed by all parties."

They said they were "ready to consider additional measures" if the power-sharing deal agreed last month by Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai continues to be blocked.

As he entered the Luxembourg talks, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned Mugabe's "attempted power grab".

"I think it is very important that a European signal goes out that we will have no part, and play no part in supporting a power grab by the Mugabe regime," Miliband told reporters.

He added that it was important that there be "an international united response that says that the results of the (Zimbabwean) elections need to be respected and that a power grab will not be respected."

The call from the former British colonial power came as Mugabe swore in his two vice presidents on Monday.

Zimbabwean state media announced two days earlier that Mugabe had decided to give his own party all key cabinet posts, prompting opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to threaten to pull out of the deal.

Under the power-sharing deal signed four weeks ago, 84-year-old Mugabe retains the presidency while Tsvangirai takes the new post of prime minister.

Political turmoil

But the agreement hit a deadlock when the two men could not agree on how to divide the most important cabinet positions, including defence, home affairs and finance.

The agreement is meant to end months of political turmoil, after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won control of parliament in March.

South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki was expected to arrive in Harare later on Monday to meet with negotiators from the rival parties to try to salvage the deal he brokered four weeks ago.

The EU foreign ministers encouraged Mbeki to seek to get the power-sharing deal respected "without delay".

The Europeans also voiced concern at "the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe" and called on the authorities there to allow unrestricted humanitarian access.

The EU had hoped in September - when the deal for a government of national unity was agreed - to resume economic aid to Zimbabwe, suspended since 2002, and to lift its existing sanctions.

The 27 foreign ministers said on Monday that they had not lost all hope of doing so.

"The EU remains ready to adopt, as soon as the September 15 agreement is put in place in an effective manner" a raft of measures to support democracy and help the country economically and socially, their text said.

Some 168 members of the Zimbabwe regime, including Mugabe and his wife Grace, are banned from entering EU nations and their European assets have been frozen.

Four enterprises which support the regime financially have also had sanctions slapped on them.

- AFP