Brussels, 25/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The nature of the form of co-operation between the European Union and Zimbabwe will be determined on Monday. It will depend on the way in which the General Affairs Council interprets the goodwill (or lack of it) of the Zimbabwean authorities in reacting positively, beyond written commitments, to Union worries about human rights violations and democratic principles of a State of Law in the country (see EUROPE 24 January page 11 and 14-15 January page 8). EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels under the Presidency of the Spanish Minister, Josep Piqué, will be assessing the situation on the basis of the latest update provided by the Union Troika and will decide if it is necessary to take measures. If this proves to be the case, what form should these measures take and when they should be instigated? Officially all options remain possible but diplomatic sources assert that moves are being towards "smart sanctions" under Foreign and Joint Security Policy (preparatory measures are already underway), with specifically targeted sanctions under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement (partial suspension of co-operation without targeting the ordinary people).
The outcome of the discussion is still uncertain and will largely depend on the response of the Mugabe government to two immediate concerns of the Union on the Presidential elections in Zimbabwe on 9-10 March: invitations and accreditation to international observers - including Union observers - and the international media at least six weeks before the ballot (at the end of January). The second concerns the nature of the Troika's initiative towards the authorities in Zimbabwe, whether they can obtain before Monday greater assurances on this subject, which they had still not had on Friday. The Council will be making a statement on a document that has been discussed by the Permanent Representatives of Member States (Coreper) that touches on the four possible options, from the most lenient to the most severe: 1) Continue discussions whilst exerting pressure on the government to ensure the elections are free, transparent and democratic and wait until the end the ballot to decide on possible measures; 2) try to secure concrete actions along those lines.