Patten defends Zimbabwe sanctions delay

Date: 21/02/02

By David Cronin

EU FOREIGN ministers are 'not wimps', even though they stalled for several weeks before imposing sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said yesterday (20 February).

Patten had warned that the EU would freeze foreign assets held by Mugabe and his henchmen and restrict their travel to member states if he did not allow election observers to begin work in Zimbabwe by 3 February. That action was finally taken on Monday.

Speaking to MEPs, Patten said both he and the ministers had 'agonised long and hard' on how they could keep an EU observer mission on the ground.

They decided to withdraw the team led by Swedish diplomat Pierre Schori when it became clear that Mugabe would thwart its work and use it as a 'fig leaf' for the regime.

EU policy-makers had been advised, added Patten, that the presence of observers could have helped reduce violence during the election campaign and provide 'a slightly greater sense of security' for voters.

Officials say Greece and Portugal were initially reluctant to have the observers withdrawn. But both eventually concurred with the other member states.

It is also understood that Development Commissioner Poul Nielson opposed the withdrawal.

Schori had earlier told ministers that his team were being tracked by the Zimbabwe secret service and faced having to do their job in an atmosphere of fear.

Amnesty International has voiced concern about the withdrawal of the monitors. 'By their very presence they acted as a check to state-sponsored violence and intimidation,' the group said.

It claimed the monitors' departure would give the 'green light for further serious human rights violations,

Report of comments by External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten, 20 February 2002 on the situation concerning the elections in Zimbabwe and the related EU sanctions.