BELGIUM: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW RECOMMENDS THAT SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE/ LATEST.
Record ID:
222933
BELGIUM: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW RECOMMENDS THAT SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE/ LATEST.
- Title: BELGIUM: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW RECOMMENDS THAT SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE/ LATEST.
- Date: 19th February 2002
- Summary: (U3) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FEBRUARY 18, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (SEE 2008/02 FOR FULL DETAILS) 1. EXTERIOR EUROPEAN COUNCIL 2. OFFICIALS ARRIVING 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA SAYING: "I cannot tell you exactly. But I think that it is very likely that sanctions will be adopted after the latest news that we have that Mr. Pierre Schori has been expelled out of the country. He's probably coming to Brussels during the day. Mr. Schori will be here during the day. We'll have the opportunity of talking to him and I will be, in any case, for trying to take a decision today." 4. OFFICIAL ARRIVING 5. ROUND TABLE OF COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS 6. SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER JOSEP PIQUE 7. DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER PER STIG MOELLER 8. SOLANA 9. PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER JAIME GAMA 10. EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA 11. FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER CHRIS PATTEN AND ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER GUENTHER VERHEUGEN 12. VARIOUS OF ROUND TABLE 1.51 (W6) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FEBRUARY 18, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 13. SV/SCU: VARIOUS OF STRAW TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (3 SHOTS) 2.12 14. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) STRAW SAYING: "He's trying to steal the election. To refuse reasonable conditions for the EU observers from 14 member states is outrageous. It shows that his claim to be interested in free and fair elections is entirely bogus. We have made every effort to have these observers in. We have made many, many accommodations to the government of Zimbabwe, but today is the end of the road. And we are clear from the report of the head of the mission that it is not possible for these observers to do their job and that is why we agreed unanimously on a recommendation from me that sanctions should apply. But these are personal sanctions. Not economic sanctions." 2.57 15. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) STRAW SAYING: "These are tough sanctions personally directed at President Mugabe and the senior people in ZANU-PF, preventing them from travelling to the European Union, freezing their assets in the European Union and also imposing an arms embargo. And they will certainly inconvenience people at a senior level in ZANU-PF if not before the election, afterwards. But it also sends out a very, very strong message about the credibility of the European Union's election monitoring apparatus that if we are going to monitor their elections, we can only monitor them in conditions that are going to allow the monitors freedom to work within that country." 3.43 16. SCU/CU/CU/PAN: MEMBERS OF MEDIA/ STRAW LEAVING ROOM (3 SHOTS) 4.03 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th March 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVA37VELA9R137IAMLK4KCB3R34Y
- Story Text: At a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers,
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has put forward a
recommendation that sanctions against Zimbabwe should be put
in place, after Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe expelled
the head of an EU election observers team.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Monday
(February 18) told reporters outside an EU ministers' meeting
in Brussels that Zimbabwe's president was trying to "steal
next month's elections."
Earlier European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana
said the 15-nation bloc would probably approve sanctions
against Zimbabwe.
Speaking to reporters as he arrived for the monthly
meeting of EU foreign ministers, Solana said: "I think it is
very likely that sanctions will be adopted after the latest
news we have that (Head of the EU election observer mission)
Mr. Pierre Schori has been expelled out of the country
(Zimbabwe)."
The head of the EU team sent to observe Zimbabwe's March
9-10 election, Swedish diplomat Pierre Schori, reported to the
ministers on the situation in Zimbabwe, which expelled him on
Saturday, accusing him of political arrogance.
The British Foreign Secretary said that after listening
to Schori's report it was clear that the EU team of more than
30 observers who, unlike Schori, did receive accreditation
from the Zimbabwean authorities, would nevertheless be unable
to do their job "and that is why we agreed unanimously on a
recommendation from me that sanctions should apply."
Straw said that "... to refuse reasonable conditions for
the EU observers from 14 member states is outrageous. It shows
that his claim to be interested in free and fair elections is
entirely bogus."
The British Foreign Secretary said: "We have made every
effort to have these observers in. We have made many, many
accommodations to the government of Zimbabwe, but today is the
end of the road."
Straw explained that ".... these are tough sanctions
personally directed at President Mugabe and the senior people
in ZANU-PF, preventing them from travelling to the European
Union, freezing their assets in the European Union and also
imposing an arms embargo."
".....it also sends out a very, very strong message
about the credibility of the European Union's election
monitoring apparatus that if we are going to monitor their
elections, we can only monitor them in conditions that are
going to allow the monitors freedom to work within that
country", Straw said.
Zimbabwe has attempted to divide the EU by saying
observers from six member states most critical of Mugabe's
rule would not be welcome in the country.
The six are Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands,
Finland and Denmark.
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