Strasbourg, 06/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - By adopting a common resolution on Zimbabwe with almost total unanimity (113 votes with three abstentions) amongst all the groups except the GUE/NGL, the European Parliament has strongly condemned the food supply system as a means to attack political opponents. It confirms that the issue of agricultural reform cannot be resolved other than by through legal, democratic, fair and transparent means. The EP, nevertheless, refused to support the Greens/EFA group proposal for the EU to support an appropriate agricultural reform (47 for, 73 against and 1 abstention) and help countries neighbouring Zimbabwe, which are having to face the problem of refugees (48 for, 72 against and 1 abstention). The Parliament condemns human rights violations and the repeated attacks on the independent media and calls on Southern Africa to exercise effective pressure on Zimbabwe. The EU is called upon to take immediate, firm and extensive measures on Zimbabwe for further sanctions and guarantee a vigorous application of all the measures decided upon against the Mugabe regime. G8 countries are called on to join the EU in applying targeted sanctions. Parliament also stresses that a "crucial test" for the Council's credibility (with regard to its capability in abiding by its own decisions), will be the refusal to grant a visa to the Foreign Affairs Minister from Zimbabwe, which would enable him to attend the SADC-EU meeting for Foreign Affairs Ministers in Copenhagen in November.
"This is not about the rights of white farmers but about rights for everyone in Zimbabwe", declared British Conservative, Geoffrey Van Orden, again accusing Mugabe to have pillaged his own country. Nelly Maes (Volksunie, Belgium) appealed for a balanced attitude. German Social Democrat, Karin Juncker sharply criticised the Mugabe regime and called on the EU to intervene in favour of agricultural reform that respects a State of Law. Bastiaan Beldeer (EDD, Netherlands) spoke about an effective purge and attacked the cynical intervention of President Mugabe at the Johannesburg Summit. Dutch Liberal Bob van den Bos acknowledged that agricultural reform was necessary but not Mugabe's, which consisted in taking land by force and giving it to his friends.
Commissioner Chris Patten pointed out that development to Harare had been suspended since the beginning of the year. "We are extremely worried", he declared, indicating that the Commission would do all that it could to increase pressure on the regime so that it respected minimum standards for human rights. He mentioned the fact that food aid had been used for political ends and demanded that it be given to the people who needed it. The SADC should play a very important role, the Commissioner explained, adding that they were awaiting the results of the November meeting in Copenhagen. He insisted on the need to appropriately apply the targeted sanctions decided on by the EU.