Mugabe dismisses sanctions

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has dismissed European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on him and his inner circle, as the United States edged closer to applying its own restrictions on the country's political leadership.

"They are saying that they are placing sanctions on leaders so that they don't come to Europe? What is Europe?" Mugabe was quoted as saying by the official daily the Herald on Thursday.

"We must be prepared to withstand these actions by Britain and its allies. The moment we start crying, then we are yielding and we begin giving up," Mugabe told an election rally in the district of Nkayi, 600 km west of the capital.

The EU applied "smart sanctions" on Monday, which include a freeze on the overseas assets of Mugabe and 19 senior officials, as well as a ban on travel to the 15-nation bloc. The move was in reaction to setbacks over accreditation for EU election observers ahead of the 9-10 March presidential poll.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Wednesday that the United States intended to move ahead with travel restrictions, but had not made "the final decisions as to precisely which officials would be covered".

The EU travel ban affects families of the leadership, including children studying in European schools. The sanctions also include an embargo on the supply of arms and technical advice and of equipment which could be used for internal repression in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa, Danson Mudekunye, rejected any suggestion that Mugabe or his close colleagues had any significant foreign assets that the EU could freeze. "It's a political game they are playing, it's all symbolic for their own credibility but will have no effect," he told IRIN.

Meanwhile, the South African election observer mission in Harare reportedly expressed concern over political violence in the run-up to the poll. Sam Motsuenyane said his delegation, which is planning to deploy 50 observers, had received reports "about the existence of 'no-go areas' for some parties" and would be taking up the matter with the authorities.

He also said it was "a matter of great concern" that police had allegedly stood by while government supporters stoned the Harare offices of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Monday.

Following a South African media outcry over delays in accreditation, the South African government said on Wednesday Harare would consider their applications "favourably". The vast majority of the South African media, with the exception of SABC and etv television companies, were denied press accreditation on Monday, news reports said.

Earlier on Wednesday, South African high commissioner to Zimbabwe Jeremiah Ndou, representatives of the South African observer mission and South African National Editors Forum chairperson Mathatha Tsedu met the Zimbabwean ministry of information permanent secretary George Charamba, South African media reported.

"The meeting agreed that the Zimbabwean government will consider favourably applications for accreditation by South African journalists to cover the presidential elections," said South Africa's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad.