Brussels, 08/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has adopted the texts necessary for the Council to be able to decide on Wednesday at Coreper, if it so wishes, to formally close consultations with Zimbabwe and to implement the targeted sanctions with which it had threatened the Mugabe regime if conditions of free, transparent and fair voting at the presidential elections of 9 and 10 March are not all respected. Emma Udwin, Commission spokesperson, told the press that the list of six observers from the "core team" under Pierre Schori, Swedish diplomat and former MEP arriving in Harare on Sunday, had been communicated to Harare that same day. The first observer to be sent from Europe left on Friday. He was Fabio Bargiacchi, an Italian responsible for ensuring the coordination of 30 long-term observers to be deployed before 12 February. The 130 short-term observers should be on the ground one week before the ballot. "We shall be very firm about keeping the timetable", said the spokesperson. The sanctions envisaged are: - either the non-programming of resources of the 9th EDF and the redirection of previous EDF leftovers in favour of populations affected (under the Cotonou Agreement), or the freeze on assets and visas for 23 persons close to Robert Mugabe, and an embargo on exports of arms and equipment likely to be used for internal repression (CFSP sanctions).