Brussels, 01/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - Whereas the electoral campaign for the 9 and 10 March presidential elections has officially begun in Zimbabwe, the EU is actively preparing all eventualities envisaged by its foreign ministers wanting free, transparent and democratic elections, and determined to impose targeted sanctions on the Mugabe regime if four conditions are not met (see EUROPE of 28 and 29 January, p.4). Knowing that the Council has made 3 February the official date for the beginning of the observer mission (the first of the conditions being that Zimbabwe does not prevent its deployment), the Union is aware that the time for these preparations has come. Within the Council, the competent bodies (experts of the ACP working group) considered that even if the official invitations have not been received, European observers were implicitly invited, in compliance with the assurances of Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Mudenge. Thus, at the request of Member States, the Commission is preparing, on the one hand, the essential arrangements for the deployment of the observers, and, on the other, the texts necessary for possible implementation of targeted sanctions, be they taken under the Cotonou Agreement (formal closure of consultations under Article 96 of the Agreement, followed by the partial suspension of co-operation, decided by a qualified majority) or Cfsp ("intelligent sanctions" proposed on the initiative of a Member State and decided unanimously on a common position). These texts will be ready on Tuesday.
According to the spokesman for Commissioner Chris Patten, the deployment of observers will be gradual, and begin with a small team of four or six people who would be on the ground in the coming days, to rise to some 150 people on election day. No indication has filtered through as to the nationality of these observers, but is may be taken for granted that none of them will be British, the Zimbabwe authorities having ruled that out. "It's regrettable, but that's not the essential question", commented the spokesperson. According to a source close to the Council, the Zimbabwe authorities are said to be prepared to meet the ambassadors of the Union troika in Harare on 4 February. The Union is said to be disposed to such a meeting on condition that it is not postponed. Whatever happens, the Council decision on the nature of possible sanctions should be taken by Coreper on 6 February.