EU agrees sanctions deadline

European Union (EU) foreign ministers on Monday agreed in principal to impose targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe if Harare failed to allow an EU election observer mission into the country by 3 February and lift a ban on foreign journalists, a British foreign office spokesman told IRIN. "By next Monday morning we want a team of EU election observers on the ground in Zimbabwe, and if that's not the case then sanctions will follow," the spokesman said. The sanctions package would include a travel ban on named members of the government, the freezing of their foreign assets, and an embargo on the export of weapons that could be used for domestic repression. Sanctions could also be imposed after the 3 February deadline if there was an attempt to prevent the EU mission from operating effectively, or if there was a "serious deterioration of the situation on the ground" such as further abuses of human rights or attacks on the opposition. An assessment that the March presidential election was not free and fair would also lead to EU action, the spokesman said. "We [Britain] went into the meeting arguing that the EU had no choice but to take this kind of action," the spokesman added. "The EU identified measures that are appropriate ... they are targeted carefully at the leadership rather than economic measures that further impoverish the people of Zimbabwe." IRIN was unable to reach Zimbabwe government officials for comment on the EU's decision. Britain is also expected to urge a Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting on Wednesday to agree to recommend the suspension of Zimbabwe from the organisation at the next Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia in March. Meanwhile, a hard-hitting report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) released ahead of the European foreign ministers' meeting argued that, as political violence escalates in Zimbabwe, the international community must act to help level the playing field in the presidential elections or risk a regional crisis. "International action, not merely further expressions of concern, is needed before time runs out on the possibility of conducting the freer and fairer election that is the best chance to head off destabilisation that would inevitably cross the country's borders and affect all southern Africa," the report said. "The ZANU-PF government discounts the numerous ultimatums and threats the international community has issued to date because none has yet been backed up with meaningful action. It is all the more important, therefore, that the international community begin to move as early as the meeting of EU foreign ministers ... on at least some of the fronts suggested in this report," the ICG said. View the report at www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=531