§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to secure international agreement for(a) a sporting boycott, (b) power sanctions and (c) wider economic sanctions against Zimbabwe; and what the value of imports from Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom was in the last 12 months. [91269]
§ Mr. RammellThe EU has put in place targeted sanctions including an arms embargo, a travel ban and assets freeze, specifically targeted at 79 members of the Mugabe regime. We have also made clear our views that the British cricket team should not play in Zimbabwe at present. However we do not believe that a general sporting boycott, power sanctions, or wider economic sanctions would be right. Such measures would only serve to harm the Zimbabwean people, who are already suffering enough under Mugabe's leadership. The latest yearly figure for imports from Zimbabwe to the UK is for 2001, when imports amounted to £91 million.