adminTendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
The European Union continues to parrot the MDC-T’s election fraud mantra as an excuse to maintain the illegal sanctions it imposed on Zimbabwe.The 27-member bloc, which pledged to unconditionally remove the economic embargo if Zimbabwe held a credible election, reneged on its promise despite regional and international observers endorsing the July 31 elections as free, fair and credible.
After the announcement of election results in which President Mugabe and Zanu-PF swept to acrushing victory, the EU changed goal posts saying it would announce its position after the Sadc final report was released. However, Sadc recently released its final report, which was disputed by the MDC-T and its leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
Responding to questions by The Herald on Wednesday, the Head of the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe Mr Aldo Dell Ariccia, claimed that the discrepancies noted by the observers in the election process put into question the credibility of the polls.
“The elections were peaceful, but the weaknesses in the process reported by observers mean that they were not wholly transparent and that impacted on their credibility,” said Mr Dell Ariccia. The EU said it would be guided by Sadc and African Union reports. Both Sadc and the AU said the the elections were credible and a true reflection of the will of the people Zimbabwe.
Despite presentation of the summary of the Sadc final report by the Head of its Election Observer Mission to Zimbabwe Mr Bernard Membe reaffirming the credibility of the elections, Ambassador Dell Ariccia insisted that they wanted to see the final report. “As far as we are aware, the final report of the Sadc has not yet been issued,” said Ambassador Dell Ariccia.
“The Sadc chief observer only presented a summary of the final report. The AU final report is expected by end September.”
Analysts said the EU was trying to wear a brave face after a crushing defeat of their preferred party.
Ambassador Dell Ariccia said the EU was prepared to work with the new Government although he said the block would want to see the policies pursued by the Government.
He said the EU was currently reviewing its relations with Zimbabwe taking account of the broader point of view on the elections as well as the approach of the new Government.
“We have always said that our objective is to normalise relations,” he said.
“The EU will work to help build the prosperity and welfare of Zimbabwean people. We now wait to see what policies the Government will propose, but insofar as our objectives are compatible, we will be happy to work together.”
Political analyst and Bindura University of Science Education lecturer Mr Boldwell Mbanje said the EU was at sixes and sevens as to how to deal with issue of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe after their Trojan horse suffered a monumental defeat in the recent elections.
“It is difficult for them to just accept the reality because they thought that MDC-T was going to win,” he said. “Eventually they will engage Zimbabwe but they also have a sense of humiliation and that is why they are pretending to be difficult.”
Mr Mbanje said the EU was also divided on the issue of sanctions but it was difficult for individual countries to pronounce their positions.
A Midlands State University lecturer who refused to be named said Zimbabwe should not read much in pledges made by the EU. “These people (Europeans) are never honest,” he said.
“They do not mean what they say if that is not feathering their interests. In the case of Zimbabwe, they thought that MDC-T was going to win and that is why they made that pledge on sanctions. You can see now that they are shifting goal posts and this is because their man lost and they feel that their interests are under threat.”
Recent reports indicate that the EU is facing fresh divisions over Zimbabwe with Belgium and Britain at loggerheads over sanctions imposed on Harare, especially over the local Marange diamonds in Chiyadzwa.
Diamond trade epicentre, Belgium, is pushing for the removal of sanctions on the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation saying Europe agreed to lift sanctions against Harare after the July 31 elections, especially if regional bodies like the Sadc and the AU endorsed the polls.
But the 28-member EU states are differing over how to interpret an agreement by its foreign ministers in February to lift sanctions on the ZMDC within a month of the election unless EU governments unanimously agreed the July 31 election in Zimbabwe was not “peaceful, transparent and credible.”
Online Reporter