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afrol News, 30 November - Further attacks on the media and the opposition by the Zimbabwean government is teasing the European Union into discussing sanctions. Also the Commonwealth, annoyed by the Zimbabwean failure to follow up the Abuja agreement on land reform, considers sanctions. South Africa does not rule out sanctions. President Mugabe on Wednesday charged the UK was behind a recent UN report which accuses the Zimbabwean government of taking advantage of the war in Congo Kinshasa (DRC) to loot minerals and other resources. On Thursday, the government reacted furiously to plans by Britain to convene a Commonwealth meeting to discuss its land reform programme. The British "are keen to discredit Zimbabwe at all costs," Zimbabwean Foreign Affairs Minister Stan Mudenge told reporters. Indeed, the British government leads the ongoing work to have sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. - I would counsel against the UK taking unilateral action, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the House of Commons on Tuesday, commenting possible sanctions against Zimbabwe. "That would work to President Mugabe's benefit. The important thing is that we work on the basis of partnership with the Commonwealth, EU and above all southern African countries." EU diplomats, lead by the British, have put pressure on Mugabe's government for over a year, calling for an end of the government sponsored political violence. In May, first steps were taken to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. Unless the Zimbabwean government engaged in a "constructive dialogue about human rights," sanctions would be considered at a later stage. Progress seemingly was made in September, as the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe signed the Abuja Agreement. The Zimbabwean government agreed to stop the uncontrolled seizure of farms owned by white nationals, respect the rule of law and organise free and fair elections. In return, Britain agreed to compensate white farm owners whose land would be redistributed to poor black families with some US$ 53 million (€ 48 million). The Commonwealth is however disappointed over the later developments. Several politically motivated killings have been registered the last weeks. Attacks on white farmers are still going on. Even worse, however, is the new, hardened government campaign against the left-overs of the free press and the MDC opposition party. In a frightening rhetoric, government officials, including President Mugabe, have started branding independent journalists and MDC politicians "terrorists". An article in the state owned 'The Herald', allegedly written by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, names six journalists working for UK, UK and South African media as "supporting terrorists". Mugabe publicly denounced the MDC as a "terror organisation". "Those funding the MDC will also be held responsible for the assassinations and terrorist acts," Minister Mudenge adds. Terrorism is a capital crime in Zimbabwe, and the branding of journalists and politicians as terrorists has caused international protest. The British sent a specific request to the Zimbabwean government on the matter. Zimbabwean human rights organizations have reported over 50 politically motivated killings since early 2000 and more political killings took place during several by-elections in September 2001. Amnesty International states that it "fears the situation will deteriorate if the international community does not take preventive action." The group therefore had appealed to the EU and the Commonwealth to send international observers as soon as possible, ahead of the Presidential elections due before April 2002. A request by the EU to send election observers was however turned down by Zimbabwean officials this week, remembering the outspoken critics by EU observers in the 2000 parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is organising a teleconference of several Commonwealth countries to discuss the Zimbabwean violations of the Abuja Agreement. Over the last months, he had been "building coalitions," Straw disclosed. Talks were ongoing with Commonwealth members, within the EU, with the US and with South African President Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki yesterday responded to the British initiative, saying regional countries and the Commonwealth should "act urgently" to encourage free and fair elections in Zimbabwe next year. "The matter is critical that elections should be free and fair and the outcome generally acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe," Mbeki told a press briefing in Pretoria. Pressed on the issue of possible sanctions against Harare from the Commonwealth and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Mbeki said: "Sure, they (these bodies) have not produced the results that we wanted, quite rightly so. Our approach is that everybody must act to provide results that are required. I am saying South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth and SADC and will continue to act in that context."
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