Belgium hit by Zim sanctions

Harare Bureau
BELGIUM has crossed swords with other European Union members after becoming the latest victim of the illegal sanctions the bloc imposed on the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, political analysts have said.
Belgium, which hosts the world’s leading diamond trading hub, Antwerp, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the local diamonds but because of the sanctions it was now losing on the market to Dubai.

The country is at odds with other EU countries and last week called on the bloc to lift the illegal sanctions on ZMDC so that it could also tap into the vast lucrative natural resources in the country.

Britain, which has been more critical of the Zimbabwean elections more than the EU as a whole, is insisting that the sanctions should remain in place and is also advocating for an audit of the just ended harmonised elections resoundingly won by President Mugabe and Zanu-PF. The move to lift the illegal sanctions, Belgium said, was in line with the agreement made by EU foreign ministers in February this year that the bloc should lift the sanctions on ZMDC within a month after the poll unless member states unanimously agreed that the election was not credible.

EU states are now squabbling over how to interpret the agreement by the foreign ministers after Sadc and the African Union gave the country’s polls clean bill.

According to Belgium, the EU has not refused to recognise the election and the February agreement must be respected and sanctions on ZMDC should be lifted for it to start openly conducting business with the parastatal.
“For us, there is an agreement,” said Belgium Foreign Minister Mr Hendrik van de Velde.

He said a fortnight ago, diplomats from EU member states confirmed the February agreement and what was left was the drawing up of a legal instrument lifting the sanctions on ZMDC, something he expected to happen soon. Some European diplomats also said it was inevitable the bloc would lift sanctions on ZMDC in line with the February agreement.

The EU has lifted travel bans on 81 of 91 Government officials who have been slapped with some sanctions, with analysts calling on the bloc to completely scrap the embargo.

However, President Mugabe, First Lady Amai Mugabe, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa, leader of the National War Veterans Association Cde Jabulani Sibanda, Director-General in the President’s Office Happyton Bonyongwe, Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Constantine Chiwenga, Air Marshall Perence Shiri, Army Commander Lt General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba, Prisons Commissioner Retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi have not been removed from the list.

Political analyst Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa, said Britain should get out of the way and allow “willing countries” to freely trade in Zimbabwean gems.

He said Belgium had also become an unintended victim of the illegal sanctions.
“The Belgians have been at the forefront calling for the removal of the sanctions because as much as we were the intended victims of the embargo, they have also become victims indirectly,” he said.

“They (Belgium) were forced to impose sanctions on a major supplier and are no longer benefiting anything from us because Britain, which does not even have a diamond industry is standing on the way.”

Ambassador Mutsvangwa said Belgium had realised that it was losing on the market to Dubai after sanctions pushed Zimbabwe out of the market.

“They are losing by default. After being blocked by the sanctions, we turned to Dubai and this meant a major challenge to Antwerp, the largest diamond trading hub,” he said.

“If a market is disturbed, we have no option but to assert ourselves in a different way and Antwerp is now facing stiff competition from Dubai, which is now controlling 30 percent of the world diamond market but it had nothing five years ago.”
He said Zimbabwe was keen to work with Belgium and the British should step aside.

“We are very keen to work with them because it is at Antwerp where we also get good prices of our commodities,” Ambassador Mutsvangwa said.

“The good thing is that they are also willing to work with us so the sooner the better for both of us. Our message to Britain is please get out of the way and let our two countries do business in a way that benefits them.”

Another analyst, Professor Jonathan Moyo, said while the announcement by Belgium was welcome all types of sanctions against Zimbabwe should be lifted unconditionally.

“What Belgium is saying is the voice of reason and what the rest of the international community has been saying that sanctions not only on ZMDC but the full sanctions should go without any conditions,” he said.

“The people who remain deaf and whose credibility is on the line are the British Government, the US and their racist allies.”
He said it was now clear that the embargo was not only affecting ordinary Zimbabweans but Europeans, such as Belgium.

Prof Moyo said EU member states were not sincere as they failed to lift the sanctions after Zimbabwe held credible elections.
“We hope Belgium will use its position in the EU to call for the lifting of sanctions against us. They must live to their promise,” he said.
“They said they would be guided by Sadc after the elections and now Sadc provided the guidelines, they are now shifting their position unnecessarily. They must fulfil that promise if they are to remain credible.”

Another analyst Mrs Margaret Dongo, said to show their seriousness, Belgium should call for the lifting of all sanctions affecting Zimbabweans not only the mining sector.

“If they are pushing for the mining sector alone then that is typical of people who are interested in exploiting our minerals,” she said.
“In their call, they should also include other sectors such as the agriculture sector not mining alone. They should convince other EU partners. We are so jealousy and in accepting the hand extended by Belgium and the ZMDC should not sellout but also call for the embargo to go fully.”

Bindura University lecturer Mr Bowden Mbanje, echoed the same statements saying the Belgians had realised that they were losing out by keeping quiet.

“Antwerp had monopolised the market in the past years but the coming up of other markets such as India and Dubai threatened the Belgians and now they are beginning to take action,” he said.

“The major culprits are the British and they should be the one who should be pressured until they see that the whole world has turned against us.”

ZMDC operates five joint-venture mines in the Marange diamond fields, that produced a combined eight million carats last year and generated $684,5 million in exports.

Of the $684,5 million, Mbada Diamonds contributed $308,3 million followed by Anjin with $209,9 million, Diamond Mining Corporation $100,8 million and Marange Resources $236 317 million.

Total earnings from mineral exports last year were $2,54 billion.