International Reaction To The 2008 Zimbabwean Presidential Election - European Union

European Union

Bernard Kouchner, the Foreign Minister of France, said on July 1 that the European Union would "accept no government other than a government led by Mr Tsvangirai". Italy chose to recall its ambassador to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean government spokesman George Charamba reacted fiercely to Western condemnation, saying that Western critics could "go hang a thousand times". Zimbabwe's Permanent Representative to the UN, Boniface Chidyausiku, was dismissive of the possibility of UN sanctions, saying that Zimbabwe was "not a threat to international peace and security."

On July 10, the European Parliament voted for a motion calling on EU member states to impose increased sanctions on members of the Zimbabwean government; it also called on them to actively discourage the presence of European businesses in Zimbabwe. The motion said that the election was "not legitimate" and urged the suspension of Zimbabwe from African regional meetings. There were 591 votes in favor and 8 opposed.

On July 13, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that pressure on the Zimbabwean government needed to be maintained and that his country would propose the addition of 36 names to the EU's list of 131 Zimbabweans subject to financial and travel sanctions.

The foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states agreed on July 22 to add 37 individuals to the list of individuals subject to EU sanctions; four companies were also added to the list. In a joint statement, the EU foreign ministers described the re-election of Mugabe as "illegitimate" and said that the new sanctions were directed "against those responsible for the campaign of violence that marked the elections"; they also said that additional action would follow if Mugabe remained in power. The foreign ministers also decided to further restrict Mugabe's ability to travel to EU countries; in order to travel there, he would need the approval of all EU member states, rather than a majority, as was previously the case. According to The Herald, the EU's list of individuals subject to sanctions "was arrived at through 'malicious' submissions to the EU by some locals intending to settle personal scores." On July 23, Angolan Foreign Minister João Bernardo de Miranda urged the EU to lift the sanctions, saying that they could interfere with negotiations between ZANU-PF and the MDC.

Following a preliminary agreement between ZANU-PF and the MDC on July 21, outlining a framework for negotiations, Miliband described the agreement as a "first step"; he called for an end to violence and the lifting of a ban on international non-governmental organizations operating in Zimbabwe, saying that these conditions were necessary in order for "resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis" to begin.