ZIMBABWE: HEAD OF E.U. OBSERVATION TEAM ARRIVES TO MONITOR ZIMBABWE'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION/ TSANGARAI RALLY

Record ID: 648278

  • Title: ZIMBABWE: HEAD OF E.U. OBSERVATION TEAM ARRIVES TO MONITOR ZIMBABWE'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION/ TSANGARAI RALLY
  • Date: 9th February 2002
  • Summary: (U7) HARARE, ZIMBABWE (FEBRUARY 10, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV HEAD OF OBSERVER TEAM FOR ZIMBABWE'S ELECTIONS, PIERRE SCHORI IN ARRIVALS HALL 0.04 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) HEAD OF OBSERVER TEAM FOR ZIMBABWE'S ELECTIONS, PIERRE SCHORI SAYING: "Well, I'm here to take charge of the EU election observation mission for which I was appointed and I start by checking in at the hotel and then I start with the practicalities. One step at the time. I'm seeking (accreditation) tomorrow. I take it for granted that I will get accreditation." 0.32 3. SMV CAMERA OPERATOR 0.34 4. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) HEAD OF OBSERVER TEAM FOR ZIMBABWE'S ELECTIONS, PIERRE SCHORI SAYING: "I will seek contact here with the authorities of course, with the ministry for foreign affairs in the first hand and then with other stake holders." 0.45 5. WIDE OF SCHORI BEING INTERVIEWED 0.47 6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HEAD OF OBSERVER TEAM FOR ZIMBABWE'S ELECTIONS, PIERRE SCHORI SAYING: "We will be operational as of now, so to say. And we think it's a very important contribution to the general support to Zimbabwe and I look forward to it." 1.04 7. WIDE OF HOUSE 1.07 8. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) OPPOSITION LEADER AND PRESIDENT OF THE MDC, MORGAN TSVANGARAI SAYING: "I believe the observers will have some effect in building the confidence or at least in making sure that the violence in the camps that the ZANU-PF has built are in the international spotlight." 1.21 9. SMV BURNT VEHICLE 1.24 10. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) OPPOSITION LEADER AND PRESIDENT OF THE MDC, MORGAN TSVANGARAI SAYING: "Today we were supposed to go to Gokwe - it's a volatile area. ZANU-PF militias and thugs are running the place. In fact one of our lorries was set alight in that place. So, it's a tense situation in certain areas." 1.44 GWERU, ZIMBABWE (FEBRUARY 9, 2002)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. WIDE OF CROWD AT RALLY 1.43 12. SLV CROWD RUNNING AND CHEERING 1.54 13. SMV TSVANGARAI ARRIVING 1.57 14. SMV OF CROWD CHEERING 2.02 15. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "There is no mealy meal here in Zimbabwe, there is no diesel... the country is sort of a desert with no resources." 2.18 16. SMV CROWD WITH TSVANGARAI POSTER 2.22 17. SMV TSVANGARAI GREETING CROWD 2.26 18. WIDE OF CROWD CHEERING 2.30 19. SCU TSVANGARAI 2.35 20. SMV CROWD 2.41 21. SCU TSVANGARAI 2.45 22. SMV MEN SEATED ON ROOF 2.49 23. SLV TSVANGARAI ADDRESSING RALLY/ PAN TO WIDE OF RALLY 2.57 24. WIDE BACK VIEW OF TSANGARAI SPEAKING 3.02 25. SMV PEOPLE LISTENING/ CHEERING 3.08 26. VARIOUS OF RALLY (2 SHOTS) 3.19 27. SMV OF CROWD RAISING ARMS AND SHOUTING "VIVA" 3.24 28. SMV TSANGARAI ADDRESSING RALLY 3.29 29. VARIOUS OF CROWD 3.39 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th February 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HARARE AND GWERU, ZIMBABWE
  • Country: Zimbabwe
  • Reuters ID: LVAC7EMY5QCYC8DT46EOZQRP4N9A
  • Story Text: The head of a European Union observer team for
    Zimbabwe's March 9-10 presidential election has arrived in the
    country, saying he expects to carry out his work despite
    Harare's objections.



    Former Swedish government minister Pierre Schori told
    reporters on arrival at Harare's international airport on
    Sunday (February 10) that he hoped to start his mission "as
    soon as possible" and would seek general discussions with
    Robert Mugabe's government over the polls.

    Mugabe, facing the biggest challenge to his 22 years in
    power at next month's election, has allowed EU officials to
    monitor the poll but objected to representatives from six EU
    states, including Sweden and former colonial ruler Britain.

    "I'm here to take charge of the EU observer mission. I
    take it for granted I will get accredited," said Schori who
    led another EU observer mission to Zimbabwe's last
    parliamentary elections in 2000. "Given my experience last
    time, I think the EU thought it was a good idea to repeat it,"
    Schori said.

    The EU said on Friday Schori would go to Zimbabwe in
    defiance of an invitation from Mugabe's government for
    observers from only nine of the 15 EU countries, excluding
    Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Britain, Germany and the
    Netherlands.

    The EU has threatened to freeze the assets of Mugabe's
    family and inner circle and bar them from travel unless Harare
    allowed the deployment of EU observers to oversee the poll.

    It has also said it would ban exports of arms and other
    equipment that could be used for internal repression if its
    monitors were hampered.

    The EU expects to have an initial 20 to 30 observers in
    the country within a week, out of about 160 expected to be in
    place for the March elections, Schori said.

    "We have a few here already (and) we will be operational
    as of now, I think. It's a very important contribution to the
    general support to Zimbabwe," Schori said.

    Schori's arrival coincided with police banning a planned
    political rally by the opposition Movement for Democratic
    Change (MDC), headed by former labour union leader Morgan
    Tsvangarai.

    "Today we were supposed to go to Gokwe - it's a volatile
    area. ZANU-PF militias and thugs are running the place. In
    fact one of our lorries was set alight in that place. So, it's
    a tense situation in certain areas," said Tsvangarai.

    MDC spokesman Learnmore Jongwe said 67 MDC rallies had
    either been disrupted or cancelled since the enactment of the
    new Public Order and Security Act last month, which critics
    say aims to stifle opposition ahead of the election.

    An opposition rally in the central city of Gweru was
    allowed to go ahead on Saturday (February 9).

    Some 8,000 MDC supporters attended the rally which was
    addressed by Tsvangarai.

    He told supporters that elements close to ZANU-PF as well
    as some police officials had deliberately targeted Mugabe's
    opponents ahead of the polls.

    The MDC says that more than 100 of its supporters have
    been killed during a violent two-year campaign which began
    with the invasion of white-owned farms in February 2000.

    Mugabe accuses the MDC of being a front for local whites
    and international opponents led by Britain, who he says want
    to unseat him in retaliation for the often violent seizure of
    white-owned farms.


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