US removes two banks from sanctions list, President raps piecemeal moves, Regime change agenda aborts

it imposed on Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe and the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe as some Westerncountries intensify their efforts to re-engage Zimbabwe.
This, some observers say, was a clear indication that most of the Western countries had lost hope of a possible Government change in Zimbabwe and were now engaging Zanu-PF and President Mugabe.

The statement announcing the removal of the two banks from the illegal sanctions was issued by Mr Adam Szubin, the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

A statement on the US Treasury Department website yesterday confirmed the development although the banks will not be allowed to transact with the over 160 Government leaders and Zanu-PF officials that remain on the US sanctions list.

However, the department gave the two local banks a clean bill to transact with anyone in the world not covered by the OFAC sanctions.

“Today, the Office of Foreign Assets Control issues a general licence authorising all transactions involving two banks in Zimbabwe, Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe and Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe, provided the transactions do not otherwise involve any person whose property and interests in property are blocked,” a statement on the US Treasury Department website read.

Due to the illegal sanctions a number of entities such as the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, Ziscosteel and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe have lost millions of dollars that were confiscated by OFAC.

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The ZMDC, as a Government investment arm, is into joint venture operations with various companies at Marange Diamond fields.

Yesterday ZMDC chairman Mr Goodwills Masimirembwa, said the US actions were inadequate.
“The US government must remove all the illegal sanctions on all individuals and entities, it cannot be a piecemeal process. The suffering being endured by Zimbabweans is because of the negative publicity that the country is suffering because of the continued existence of sanctions against those individuals and entities. This piecemeal approach does not help anyone,” Mr Masimirembwa said.
Speaking during a dinner he held for the visiting Malawian leader Mrs Joyce Banda at State House on

Tuesday, President Mugabe said Zimbabwe did not want piecemeal lifting of sanctions.
The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, argues that as the West re-engages Zimbabwe, it was supposed to treat the country with respect according to international law.

The US government passed its illegal sanctions law – the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in 2001 – and in 2003 former President George Bush issued travel bans and a general asset freeze of Zanu-PF and Government officials under the illegal sanctions.
This law was passed by the US Senate at the behest of the MDC formations.

More people and entities were subsequently added to the sanctions list in 2005 and 2008.
The Western nations imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in direct response to the revolutionary land reform that has seen over 400 000 households, including some members of the MDC formations being resettled on land formerly owned by white commercial farmers.

Less than 4 000 whites owned about 70 percent of the country’s arable land, while majority Zimbabweans were condemned to sandy and rocky trust lands.

The Western nations working in cahoots with the MDC-T imposed the sanctions hoping to propel the party into government and reverse the historical land reform.

Observers, however, said recent efforts by the Western countries to re-engage Zimbabwe showed that the illegal sanctions had failed to instigate the illegal regime change, an indication of a decline in their confidence in the MDC-T.

The US and its Western allies have been on a crusade to re-engage with President Mugabe and Zanu-PF and of late some emissaries have been shuttling between Harare and Western capitals for talks.

Last week the US State Department sent the country’s former ambassador to the UN, Mr Andrew Young to meet President Mugabe and find ways to normalise relations.
He did not have a meeting with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

This followed the removal of 81 other Zanu-PF and Government officials and eight entities from the illegal sanctions by the EU.

A grouping of European countries calling itself the Friends of Zimbabwe also invited a Zimbabwe ministerial delegation to London last month as part of efforts to mend ties with Zimbabwe.

The team comprised Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa (Zanu-PF), Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma (MDC-T) and Regional Integration and International Cooperation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga.