Brussels, 20/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - With just one week to go before the second round of the presidential elections, scheduled for 27 June in Zimbabwe, and as the opposition plans to withdraw in order not to lay itself open to a parody of democracy, the European Council took a firmer line, on Friday 20 June in Brussels, with respect to those in charge of the intimidation campaign, the violence perpetrated, and measures taken against NGOs so that aid and international access is suspended in rural areas. “We urge Zimbabwe to return to a road that is as democratic as possible and express the hope that African observers fulfil their mission as best they can”, Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian Foreign Minister, commented.
In its conclusions, the European Council says it is “deeply concerned” by the situation in Zimbabwe and reiterates the need for the ballot to be held in a peaceful, free and fair environment in accordance with international norms an standards. It expresses the right of Zimbabweans to freely choose their future. Regretting that its offer to provide monitors had been rejected, the EU calls on the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union to deploy a significant number of election monitors as soon as possible and to ensure their continued presence until the electoral process is completed and results officially declared. The Council points out that it is ready to take additional measures against those responsible for violence other than the measures already applied to President Robert Mugabe and a list of persons close to his regime.
Speaking to the press, Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister, said: “Mugabe's desperate and increasingly isolated regime has unleashed yet more violence. This is a blatant attempt to intimidate and steal the election. This is a brazen and obscene abuse of power. If Zimbabwe is to have any chance that the world will see the election as free and fair, the violence must cease now”. Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister, denounced the “enormous and inhuman aggressiveness of Mugabe and his clique against the opposition”. He said that what is taking shape “is a Kenya type solution in which Mugabe will hold a leading position in negotiations”. (A.N./C.D./transl.jl)