EU suspends most Zimbabwe sanctions after referendum
The European Union suspended most sanctions on Zimbabwe on Monday after voters there approved a new constitution paving the way for an election to decide whether President Robert Mugabe extends his 33-year rule.
The European Union suspended most sanctions on Zimbabwe on Monday after voters there approved a new constitution paving the way for an election to decide whether President Robert Mugabe extends his 33-year rule.
The move is the most far-reaching step so far in the European Union’s strategy of easing sanctions to encourage political and economic reform in Zimbabwe.
The southern African country has been governed by an uneasy coalition since Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were forced into a power-sharing deal after disputed 2008 elections.
“The EU ... has today agreed to immediately suspend the application of measures against 81 individuals and eight entities,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.
The EU has today agreed to immediately suspend the application of measures against 81 individuals and eight entities
Ten people, including Mugabe, and two companies, including state-run diamond mining company the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), remain on the sanctions list, restricted by asset freezes and travel bans, an EU source said.