Brussels, 06/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - A few days reprieve have been granted to the Zimbabwe authorities, threatened by the Union with targeted sanctions if the conditions of a free, transparent and fair ballot are not met for the presidential elections of 9 and 10 March.. Considering that the regime of Robert Mugabe "has not prevented the deployment of Union observers", according to the words of Emma Unwin, spokesperson for the Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, the Commission and Member States let by the deadline of 3 February - date of the official beginning of the observer mission, that was to mark the first deadline for the triggering of possible sanctions - without putting their threat into practice. This is no lifting of sanctions for that, it being understood that the deployment of the observers is only just beginning and that their working conditions like free access for the international media and the respect of human rights are also as defining, according to the conclusions of the last General affairs Council (see EUROPE of 28 and 29 January, p.4).
Sources close to the Council state that the next deadline has been set for 9 February, or a month day for day before the presidential elections. This deadline corresponds to the deadline set by the Commission to deploy the first six observers making up the core team of Union observers, selected from lists of professionals in the possession of the Commission and among experienced NGOs already on the ground. It also coincides with the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich-type meeting) in Caceres on 8/9 February which, if necessary, would be assessing the politics of the situation in terms of changes in practice. The texts needed for potentially putting an end to consultations with Zimbabwe (under Article 96 of the Cotonou Accord) and the implementation of potential sanctions should be ready for COREPER on 13 February (the Commission was initially supposed to be providing Member States' representatives with the documents this Wednesday but is now said to have committed itself to providing them for the 13 February meeting).
The names people in the first team of European observers (to be headed by a Swedish diplomat) will be sent to the Zimbabwean authorities on Wednesday. The most recent information suggests that the Commission will be sending 30 observers on 12 February and a further 130 (rather than the initial 150) on the day of the elections itself, thereby sending as many as possible short-term observers appointed mainly by Member States and sent to Zimbabwe immediately ahead of the elections, with longer-term observers (more experienced people appointed by the Member States).