President commends EU dialogue progress

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Spokesperson for the British Embassy in Harare Ms Kate Chambers on Friday told our Harare Bureau:

“The current EU measures, which include an arms embargo and active measures against the late former President Mugabe, his wife Grace Mugabe and the company Zimbabwe Defence Industries, are specifically targeted to do no damage to the wider economy or the people of Zimbabwe and are an appropriate response to the political violence we have seen since 2000.”

But Sadc insists that the sanctions are adversely weighing on Zimbabwe’s economy and, by extension, the region.

Over the years, the EU has reduced the number of officials on sanctions from the initial list of 200 that were placed under the measures first imposed in 2002.

Attempts to get a comment from the US embassy were fruitless as they referred our Harare Bureau to a statement published earlier last week.

Meanwhile, the push to remove sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States of America and the European Union (EU) is gaining traction after the African Union (AU), China and Sadc diplomats around the world lent their voice for the embargo to be lifted.

AU Commission chairperson Mr Moussa Faki on Friday added diplomatic heft to Sadc’s efforts by calling for the “immediate removal” of the sanctions.

In addition to setting aside 25 October the day to protest against the embargo, Sadc also resolved at the 39th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Tanzania in August to escalate the issue with the continental body.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana said the momentum that has been generated by the ongoing anti-sanctions crusade was huge.

“The momentum is huge,” he said.

“Here we have 16 countries shouting together and standing with us. We also had (South) Korea standing with us. The surprise for me is that we also had Japan supporting us. They were even prepared to give a solidarity message during the event. ”

Japan’s support as a Group of Seven (G7) member, Mr Mangwana also added, was invaluable.

“To have a G7 country supporting us is just great. In terms of Japan, it is the re-engagement agenda that has made breakthroughs because when we did the programme, the Japanese wanted to give a solidarity message.”

First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Zimbabwe Mr Yoichiro Takahashi told our Harare Bureau that they would issue a statement.

“What is important is that Japan has no sanctions against Zimbabwe. We are going to issue (a statement) when the Deputy Ambassador (Mr Kenichi Kasahara) is back in the office,” he said.

Sadc’s Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day, Mr Mangwana said, had inserted the subject of sanctions in the global domain.

Mr Mangwana added: “I have heard some people saying on the 26th (of October) the sanctions will remain. That is not the idea: the idea is the conversation, and you saw how effective this has been.

“Those who have imposed sanctions on us are fighting back, it means that they heard the noise. Whether you are fighting back, whether you are refusing or a denialist, what matters is that you are talking about it.”