Strasbourg, 27/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The members of the European Parliament did not have enough strong words, in Strasbourg on 26 April, to condemn with the greatest possible vigour the dictatorship of President Mugabe, the brutal aggression and arbitrary arrests against those opposing the regime, and the terrible economic situation to which Robert Mugabe has led his country, Zimbabwe. Nonetheless, all welcomed the initiative of the heads of state and government of the South African Development Community (SADC) which took regional responsibility for launching dialogue between opposition and the government, at their extraordinary summit in Dhar El Salam on 29 March, with the assistance of the mediator and South African President, Thabo Mbeki.
The resolution, which was put to the vote by initiative of British Conservative member Geoffrey Van Orden and adopted virtually unanimously (68 votes in favour, one against, no abstentions), clearly gets the message across, and calls on the member states of the EU strictly to apply the sanctions imposed by the EU on incriminated leaders of Zimbabwe, including the embargo on weapons and restrictions on granting visas. With regard to this, the Parliament calls upon the Council to guarantee that none of those under a visa ban are invited, nor will attend, the EU-Africa summit to be held in Lisbon next December. The resolution furthermore calls upon the United Kingdom, which currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, “to include the Zimbabwean question on the agenda of the Security Council”.
At the start of the debate, Mr Van Orden spoke out in the strongest possible terms against “a dictator who oppresses his own people, has brought his country to its knees” (an inflation rate which will hit 5000% by the end of the year, 90% unemployment, pandemic levels of HIV and AIDS) and “is able to continue to make the situation even worse”. Voicing hopes that the mediation of Thabo Mbeki “will lead to fair and free elections”, the MEP pleaded for the EU to continue to bring pressure to bear, in the meantime, with duly-applied sanctions. “I call upon the Council and the Commission to look into a mass aid programme for the people”, he said.
Speaking before the MEPs on behalf of the German presidency of the Council, Günter Nooke denounced “the escalation of violence and the brutal treatment of protesters” by a regime which has “dropped the mask of democracy”. If “the economic situation is deplorable, the repression is worse, and the population, and even members of his own party, are increasingly turning against him”, he noted, voicing his satisfaction that the United Nations Human Rights Council called upon Mugabe to respect human rights and the rule of law, on 29 March. He added: “Like the whole of the region, we have noted that there is less solidarity with Mugabe. This fills me with hope (…). We are seeing something like an end of reign atmosphere”, pleading for a “reflection on the post-Mugabe” to be launched. Pointing out that the EU is prepared to support the initiative of the SADC, but that the sanctions will remain in place (EUROPE 9412), Mr Nooke added: “No solution will be possible without the help of the African partners. They have asked the EU to be patient. But we cannot continue to be no more than observers. We will continue to react. The EU cannot be silent and will not be silent”. Speaking on behalf of the Commission, Joaquin Almunia stressed the importance of “dialogue with the regional peers” on a crisis “which can only be resolved by dialogue between all the political forces”. Stating that the Commission is very much in agreement with the German presidency, he reminded his audience of the decision taken to “keep the region and Africa informed of the content of EU sanctions” (visa ban, freezing of assets, embargo on weapons). “Trade and economic cooperation are not affected. In 2006, the EU made 193 million available in aid for Zimbabwe, including 86 million from the European Commission and 107 from the member states, for the direct benefit of the population”, the commissioner stressed. (an)