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| Africa Subsaharan |
| UK seeks more sanctions for Zimabwe |
| 2008-06-17 |
| The United Kingdom has launched its strongest attack yet on the Zimbabwean government and is reportedly drawing up a contingency plan to be adopted if the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader does not win the June 27 election, the Zimbabwe Guardianhas learnt. According to UK press reports Sunday, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is lobbying the Southern African region to consider sanctions against President Robert Mugabe's government in the aftermath of the run-off presidential election if the MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, does not win the election. According to a report in The Times newspaper on Sunday the FCO "is hoping to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbours to create an economic blockade." Britain and its allies -- who have been blamed by President Mugabe for seeking regime change in Zimbabwe -- are trying to mobilize regional leaders to consider imposing sanctions against the Zimbabwean government. Over the weekend African statesman, including the former Presidents of Nigeria, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Benin, along with Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, signed a declaration on Friday expressing concern at the violence and calling on African leaders "at all levels" to oversee the election. British officials are said to be looking for an alternative sanctions regime against the Zimbabwean government to force President Mugabe to step down or concede defeat to the MDC-T leader. A sanctions regime modeled along the lines of those used on North Korea and Iran, is being considered. Among other measures, Britain is said to be considering are the widening of travel EU/US ban to include relatives of Zanu PF members, preventing children of officials from attending schools in EU/US, a complete trade embargo and ban on purchase of goods, action against Western companies operating in Zimbabwe, pressurizing neighbouring states to suspend Zimbabwe from the Southern African Development Community and also pressurizing China to break off relationships with Zimbabwe relationship. China is widely viewed as mitigating the impact of the current sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Britain and its allies. Western diplomats are said to be lobbying the South African government to switch off electricity supplies to Zimbabwe. Diplomats believe that they might be able to persuade the South African Government to restrict or turn off the supply, said The Times. They are also "hoping to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbours to create an economic blockade. Vital imports have to come through Mozambique and South Africa." |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 This is starting to piss me off now. |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2008-06-17 18:18 |
| #1 So why are all these same techniques call "Crimes Against Humanity" when Israel tries to employ them against the Paleos? |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-06-17 07:56 |