Envoy reiterates EU divisions over sanctions

Herald Reporter
Berlin’s Ambassador in Harare, Dr Albrecht Conze has reiterated that divergent views within the European Union over sanctions on Zimbabwe make it difficult for the bloc to agree on how to treat the country.
In a letter published in the local media yesterday, Ambassador Conze said the EU could consider further concessions to Zimbabwe over the coming year.
The EU last week removed 35 names from the travel ban component of its illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe – something Ambassador Conze admitted was nominal and made it harder for South Africa (the facilitator in the inter-party talks) to do its Sadc-mandated job here.
“I have stated that the EU has taken a first step by reducing the number of listed persons; that further steps will be considered as further progress in Zimbabwe allows the EU to move forward; and that this will not necessarily take the EU another full year.
“I then added that it is always a complex process to bring together the views of 27 member states who need to find a common position,” he wrote.
Whistle-blower website WikiLeaks recently revealed that Germany was among several EU members opposed to the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The EU imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002.
According to a study by the EU itself a few years ago on implementation of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, the sanctions on Zimbabwe were imposed as a regime change tool to try and influence the 2002 Presidential elections won by President Mugabe.
The CPA regulates the official relationship between the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific bloc and the EU.