Africa News
EU prolongs Zimbabwe sanctions, but takes some officials off list
Feb 15, 2011, 14:04 GMT
Brussels - The European Union on Tuesday decided to extend by a year the sanctions it imposed on the Zimbabwean regime of President Robert Mugabe, but to take several officials off the list as a reward for some political reform.
The EU has kept arms and visa bans and asset freezes on Mugabe and his allies since 2004 in a bid to force democratic change in the country. EU states had discussed lifting those bans following the creation last year of a national unity government.
Despite that breakthrough, EU states concluded 'there has not yet been sufficient progress' on political reforms to warrant dropping the bans, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said in a statement coordinated with all 27 EU members.
The EU decided to extend by a year a visa ban and asset freeze for a list of named individuals and businesses, an arms embargo and other measures, the statement read.
The visa ban and asset freeze originally targeted 198 top regime officials and 31 businesses seen as channelling funds to Mugabe and his supporters.
In a sign of the tentative improvement in conditions in Zimbabwe, EU states agreed to strike 35 people from that list.
'The remaining 163 people and 31 businesses are still considered to be linked to human rights abuses, the undermining of democracy or the abuse of the rule of law,' the statement read.
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