Re-engagement committee to meet over sanctions

that the meeting would spell out Zimbabwe’s position regarding the decade long embargo.
The committee is composed of Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma, Regional and International Cooperation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi and the Organ of National Healing co-chair Moses Mzila Ndlovu.
The meeting is a follow up to a resolution made by Global Political Agreement principals last week that the dialogue between Zimbabwe and the EU should be resuscitated.
“Re-engagement ministers are meeting on how we are going to engage the EU,” said Ambassador Bimha.
“They are going to plan our strategy before we engage the EU.”
The 27 European member bloc normally renews its illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe around mid February every year. But Ambassador Bimha said the plan by the reengagement committee had nothing to do with the timing of the EU sanctions renewal period.
“We are not worried by the dates of when they renew their sanctions,” he said.
“On Wednesday, we will be in a position to tell how we are going to engage the EU.”
Re-engagement dialogue between Zimbabwe and the EU started in 2009 soon after the formation of the inclusive Government.
The dialogue was aimed at exploring ways of normalising relations between the two sides.
Since 2009, little headway was made after the EU showed that it was not committed to dialogue.
On several occasions, some of the ministers from the Zanu-PF side were detained in Germany on their way to Brussels for the talks.
It was noted that the EU was not negotiating in good faith after it continued to set conditions for lifting the illegal sanctions.
The EU insisted that Zimbabwe should fully implement the GPA before it considers lifting the embargo.
Zimbabwe argued that the EU had no mandate to supervise the GPA because it was an internal arrangement.
The two sides last met early last year where Zimbabwe pointed out that it would not compromise anything until the illegal sanctions were lifted.