Brussels, 11/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The first consultation meeting between the European Union and Zimbabwe, organised under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement because of the continued violation of human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law as denounced by the EU in this ACP country (see EUROPE of 9 January, p.8), was held in Brussels on Friday. Little information has filtered through from this meeting which was still in progress during the evening, but no formal decision of sanctions was foreseen at this stage of the procedure. Prior consultation, geared to seeking solutions in order to remedy the failings denounced, were supposed to last 60 days at most. The Zimbabwean delegation, despatched by President Robert Mugabe the day after the national parliament had voted two laws making the regime still tougher (one on public safety threatening any person found guilty of seeking to overthrow the government or undermining the authority of the president to the death penalty or life imprisonment, and the other amending the electoral law to exclude most Zimbabwe nationals living abroad from the right of vote during presidential elections on 9 and 10 March), was headed by Foreign Minister Stanley Mudenge. He was accompanied by his counterparts for Internal Affairs, Mr Chinamasa, Agriculture Mr Made, and Information, Mr Moyo. The European delegation was headed by the permanent representative for Spain with the Union, Francisco Xavier Conde de Saro. The authorities of Zimbabwe were mainly assisted by the Secretary General of the ACP Group, Jean-Robert Goulangana, the Deputy General Secretary, Mr Luteru, the legal adviser, Mr Bissembe, and the vice Foreign Ministers for Namibia and Angola, as well as the Malawi Ambassador in Brussels.