European Union to meet government over concerns

A 20-member delegation from the European Union (EU) arrived in Harare late on Thursday. The EU is considering imposing sanctions against Zimbabwe because of mounting human rights abuses and the government's crackdown on civil liberties. The 15-member bloc is also concerned about President Robert Mugabe's refusal to guarantee fair elections next year and the admission of international observers. Zimbabwe's controversial land reform programme is also expected to come under the spotlight. "Although the main thrust of the visit will be talks about the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) conflict and Zimbabwe's continued role in it, Zimbabwe's internal situation will be up for discussion," Susana Roson, of the EU's Zimbabwe desk told IRIN from Brussels. Roson confirmed that the delegation, led by commissioners Chris Patten and Javier Solana, is expected to meet Mugabe and his ministers over the stalemate reached between Zimbabwe and the EU. "Time is short, but I know Commissioner Patten has requested to meet representatives of civil society as well as government," she said. Stan Mudenge, minister of foreign affairs, told the state-run Herald newspaper that the government is ready for the meeting since, according to him, it wants to expose the EU's interference in the internal politics of Zimbabwe by funding opposition parties. "The EU delegation will try and get resolutions to some of the areas of concern while in Zimbabwe," Roson said. Last month the EU Parliament in Strasbourg passed a resolution calling for stern measures against Zimbabwe for its repression and violations of the rule of law. These measures could include the imposition of targeted sanctions such as a ban on travel and the freezing of overseas-based assets of Mugabe and his close allies. The EU Council of Ministers invoked Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement that could eventually see the imposition of the sanctions. The EU team is scheduled to meet Western ambassadors on Thursday evening for a briefing on the situation in Zimbabwe. On Wednesday, UN Development Programme (UNDP) representatives met Mugabe to discuss progress on the implementation of an accord, brokered in September in Abuja, Nigeria, under which Zimbabwe pledged to restore the rule of law in return for international funding for land reform. "It was a useful meeting at which President Mugabe reaffirmed his commitment to Abuja," UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator Jose Victor Angelo told IRIN. Meanwhile, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) reported in a news release that a foreign-owned ostrich farm in Matabeleland North was invaded by 15 settlers on Thursday morning. The farm is a joint venture between a Zimbabwean and an Indonesian investor who had pumped more than US $12 million into the region. The invaders were part of a group asked to leave the farm after it was de-listed in April under a bilateral trade agreement with Indonesia. "Government do not have a legal instrument to acquire land owned by foreign investors. Bi-lateral agreements surely override local political policy as announced by (agricultural) Minister Joseph Made," the press release said.