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Zimbabwe Situation

Germany says keeping keen eye on Harare

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via Germany says keeping keen eye on Harare 10 August 2014

A SENIOR Germany official says President Robert Mugabe’s commitment to democratising Zimbabwe will be judged on his willingness to uphold the values enshrined in the new Constitution adopted last year.

Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com in Berlin, Germany, the federal government official who requested anonymity for diplomatic reasons said they would also closely monitor if Mugabe will re-align the country’s laws with the new Constitution.

“We are going to use the issue of the Constitution as a benchmark in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“What we are going to do is to engage with the Harare administration and discuss the benefits of the implementation of the new charter, asking who really benefits out of its implementation.”

Germany, together with other European Union (EU) countries, has maintained targeted sanctions on Mugabe and his henchmen that were imposed in 2002 as punishment for alleged electoral fraud and violating human rights.

Under the terms of the sanctions, Mugabe and his close lieutenants were banned from setting foot in Europe with their assets being frozen. Mugabe blames the targeted sanctions for ruining Zimbabwe’s economy.

Mugabe, the only leader Zimbabweans have known since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980, was re-elected last July as he consolidated his grip on power.

After the elections, the EU removed the sanctions, only maintaining restrictions on Mugabe and his wife.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party led by Morgan Tsvangirai rejected the election result as fraudulent.

The Germany official said while the elections were free and fair, “these are not the only elements which are considered when judging the outcome”.

“The transparency and credibility of the poll is also of great importance and should be considered as well,” he said.

Commenting on the decision by the EU to re-engage Zimbabwe, the official said: “This is not a decision which will be taken by Germany alone but by the entire members of the bloc.

“I do not know what they are using to justify the lifting of measures on President Mugabe. This can be best answered by the EU not Germany alone.”

He said the political situation in Zimbabwe was “different now from what it was in the previous years and we consider this a positive step.”

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