Zimbabwe (Hansard, 10 July 2002)

§ Mr. Peter Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the European Union travel ban on President Mugabe. [65245]

§ Mr. MacShane
On 18 February, EU Ministers imposed a travel ban on 20 named members of the Zimbabwe regime (common position 2002/145/CFSP). Under Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union, all member states are obliged to implement common positions.
Mugabe was recently refused entry to France. Where international commitments to the UN and Interpol have obliged member states to let Mugabe and others into the EU, the terms of their entry have been as restrictive as possible.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) Commonwealth, (b) European Union and (c) other countries have sanctions against Zimbabwe; and what form they take. [67127]

§ Mr. MacShane
On 19 March, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth.
On 18 February, the EU imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on 20 senior members of the Zimbabwe Government. It also imposed an arms embargo.
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A travel ban has been imposed by the United States, Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when and where the ZANUPF members who are under travel sanctions have travelled since the inception of the travel sanctions. [67416]

§ Mr. MacShane
On 18 February, EU Ministers adopted a common position (2002/145/CFSP) which imposed a travel ban within the EU on Mugabe and 19 other named members of the Zimbabwe regime.
The EU common position allows member states to grant exemptions to the travel ban 'on the grounds of humanitarian need, including religious obligation, or on grounds of attending meetings of international bodies or conducting political dialogue that promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe'.
Under the terms of the EU travel ban, France was obliged to permit Police Commissioner Chihuri to attend an Interpol meeting in Lyon on 14–16 May, and Italy was obliged to permit Mugabe to attend a UN conference in Rome on 10–13 June.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with(a) Government colleagues and (b) other Governments about potential measures the international coalition could take regarding the actions of the Mugabe regime. [67125]

§ Mr. MacShane
My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, has discussed Zimbabwe with Government colleagues. He remains in regular touch with EU, US and Commonwealth colleagues on further international responses to the situation in Zimbabwe.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was discussed at his meeting with the Southern African Development Community concerning Zimbabwe; and what the outcome of this meeting was. [67132]

§ Mr. MacShane
My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, has not attended a meeting with the Southern African Development Community.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met a member of ZANU-PF; and what was discussed. [67129]

§ Mr. MacShane
My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, raised the situation in Zimbabwe with Foreign Minister Mudenge, in New York on 10 November 2001.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings with non-EU countries he has scheduled in the next six months on the topic of Zimbabwe. [67121]

§ Mr. MacShane
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, will discuss Zimbabwe, at every appropriate opportunity, with concerned members of the international community.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Nelson Mandela on his potential inclusion in seeking a solution to Zimbabwe's problems; and what his response has been. [67123]
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§ Mr. MacShane
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, has not held discussions with Nelson Mandela on seeking a solution to Zimbabwe's problems. The Foreign Secretary discussed Zimbabwe with South African Foreign Minister, Zuma, on 20 June.

§ Mr. Wiggin
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the international community's freezing of ZANU-PF's assets. [67131]

§ Mr. MacShane
The UK has frozen £76,000 in assets belonging to the members of ZANU-PF who are covered by the EU common position (2002/145/CFSP on 18 February). The freezing of ZANU-PF assets has put the financial markets of the EU and Switzerland off limits to those on the banned list. It has also helped signal the increasing isolation of the ZANU-PF elite.