European Commission plans talks with Mugabe

The European Commission said on Monday it would begin discussions with Zimbabwe over human rights, but did not say when the talks would take place or what the desired outcome was. The planned talks would be the commission's first initiative with the Harare government since President Robert Mugabe began his crackdown on civil rights seven months ago, the 'Financial Times' reported on Tuesday. "It will be an open ended dialogue that will cover all the topics related to human rights," a commission spokesman said, adding that no timetable for the talks had been set. The report said the discussions were agreed on after Poul Nielson, commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, had been invited to lunch by Mugabe, who was on the first leg of a trip that would also take him to Paris. The commission issued a short, vague statement saying the conversation "covered the main themes in a frank and open way". It added that the dialogue would be anchored on Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement, which governs the European Union's relations with its partners in the African, Pacific and Caribbean regions. In particular, Article 8 contains a three-month deadline for completion of the dialogue. UK officials earlier said if no progress was made on human rights issues, London could press for moving to tougher action under Article 96 of the agreement that would allow the EU to suspend aid. However, a commission spokesman said no timetable for the dialogue had been set. Some EU officials have admitted they have little leverage over Mugabe, who last week succeeded in precipitating the early retirement of the country's chief justice.