What has the UK done?

We are focusing on multilateral pressure. As Morgan Tsvangirai said on the UK's Radio 4 Today programme on 26 March 2007: ‘What I’ve always said is that yes, Britain can play a part, but it should play a part within a multilateral context. In other words working within the EU and the UN frameworks to try to put pressure on Mugabe, to find a solution to the crisis that the country is facing’.

Targeted EU Measures

• There are no economic sanctions on Zimbabwe
• Established EU policy of targeted measures hitting the Zimbabwe elite since 2002, renewed Feb 2007 (Common Position): now bans 125 regime members from visiting EU (soon increasing to 130 as a result of cabinet reshuffle). Freezes the assets of the 125. So far we have caught 42 bank accounts and £172,000 in UK.
• Other targeted measures include bans on military links, arms embargo etc. The EU targeted measures focus on those who profit from the Mugabe regime not the ordinary people.
• We are identifying the key perpetrators of the recent violence and pressing for them to be included on the EU visa ban list (as we successfully did for six of those most involved in Operation Murambatsvina clearance of the 800,000 ‘squatters’ from Harare in 2005).

Working with the UN

• EU made a tough Statement on Zimbabwe on 28/29 March at the Human Rights Council. 50 countries associated themselves with it. A number, including US, Japan, France, Sweden, Ireland, Australia, Slovakia, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Denmark, also made strong national interventions on Zimbabwe. Others who did not associate themselves with the EU statement, including Ghana, South Africa, Chile and Costa Rica highlighted their concerns about Zimbabwe. Ghana’s statement was particularly strong.
• The EU statement urges the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression/Opinion, and on Torture to visit Zimbabwe and report back to the next session of the HRC
• If Zimbabwe does not co-operate, the next session of the Human Rights Council should take appropriate action
  The UN Security Council was briefed on 29 March on the tragic humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe; reports are emerging of 95% failure of the maize harvest in the south of the country. Mis-governance plays a major part, as well as drought.

SADC and issues arising from the summit (28-29 March):

• Welcome the Summit's commitment that President Mbeki would take forward internal dialogue between ZANU-PF and the MDC.
• Early progress is important for the SADC initiative to be credible. The UK will continue to support and encourage SADC and African leaders’ engagement and keep up pressure on Mugabe to reform.
• Even as SADC leaders met, Zimbabwean riot police were raiding MDC offices, arresting staff and continuing to arbitrarily arrest and beat members of civil society. This is to stop for the international community to believe Mugabe is serious about reform in any sense.

Sanctions – SADC summit called for them all to be lifted

• There are no EU economic sanctions on Zimbabwe. The very last thing we want to do is to inflict further suffering on the Zimbabwean people. The EU’s targeted measures focus on 125 named individuals. They target Mugabe and those who profit from his mis-governance.
• No sense in lifting any of the targeted measures now. Arbitrary arrests and beatings are increasing. Need to add to the list those who are directing and financing the beatings and torture. No sense at all in lifting the arms embargo.

Economy – SADC calls for a further study

• Zimbabwe’s economic problems are well-documented. A recent IMF study clearly set out what those problems were and what Zimbabwe should do to resolve them.
• We would hope any study by the SADC Executive Secretary would draw on the IMF work and we imagine it could only come to the same or very similar conclusions.

Land – SADC calls for Britain to honour its compensation obligations

• The UK provided £44 million for land reform in Zimbabwe. By 1996, £3 million was unspent. We owe no outstanding sums.
• Land reform is an essential part of what’s needed for Zimbabwe’s recovery, and we have always said that we would support a land reform programme that was transparent, that was carried out within the rule of law, within a well-managed economic framework and was pro-poor. Those are the principles that the Zimbabwe government committed themselves to in 1998 but have not adhered to in practice.
• This was recognised in previous land reform assistance packages which the international community (including the UK) signed up to support. But the GoZ then failed to deliver the necessary enabling environment and carried out violent land seizures.
• But land reform is just a part of the problems facing Zimbabwe. Land reform must be addressed at the same time as addressing issues of governance, investor confidence, the rule of law, macroeconomic stabilization etc. We are ready to help a future Zimbabwe government that is genuinely committed to tackling these issues properly, including help with land reform. Mugabe’s government is not.

Encouraging African leadership

• When PM met President Kufuor of Ghana (President of AU) 14 March. He said we needed Africa to show leadership in dealing with Zimbabwe. We’re now getting it with the SADC initiative.
• We are staying in close touch with African leaders. The Prime Minister raised Zimbabwe with President Mbeki on 27 March. The Foreign Secretary discussed it her South African counterpart on 15 March.
• The UK and EU are encouraging and supporting African efforts, including through pressure in the UNSC and UN Human Rights Council.

Support to the people of Zimbabwe

• In 2006 the EU collectively gave about 190 million euro to the people of Zimbabwe for pressing issues including food aid, HIV/health support, and support to civil society. British aid was about 40% of that, both through the EU, and about £40 million bilaterally. No-one can accuse us of neglecting the people.
  Our aid is channelled through UN and NGOs, not through the Zimbabwe government. Our food aid is not a part of ZANU(PF)’s programme to manipulate food for political ends.
• Our aid helps keep millions of Zimbabweans alive: over £142 million on HIV/AIDS and on humanitarian assistance in the last five years.
  We support civil society and human rights organisations in Zimbabwe e.g. those who have supported victims of this last weekend’s torture, and helped their legal defence [avoid giving details because this could jeopardise the organisations concerned
• Our Ambassador in Harare, and his staff, has been present, with other EU Ambassadors, in the courtrooms, hospitals and police stations.