Sanctions to torpedo GNU?

ZANU-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations have been at odds over how the inclusive government should tackle the contentious issue of sanctions imposed by the West and Europe in 2002.
On one hand, ZANU-PF contends that the MDC lobbied for the imposition of sanctions to remove it from power and as such, must have the sole responsibility to ensure their removal.
The MDC, on the other, believes the “restrictive measures” came about as a result of ZANU-PF’s disrespect for property rights and rule of law.
According to the party, the sanctions will therefore remain an albatross around the inclusive government’s neck until ZANU-PF has demonstrated its commitment to fulfilling political reforms, agreed to under the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed in September last year.
Apart from pressing for media and electoral reforms, the MDC is also pushing for the appointments of provincial governors and the swearing in of Roy Bennett as the deputy minister of agriculture, among other things.
Analysts said the differences in interpretations to the GPA could further move apart the already shaky power-sharing arrangement.
While President Mugabe has come out in the open calling for the removal of sanctions as part of the economic recovery process, his partner in the inclusive government — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai — has been ambiguous about it, referring to the sanctions as “restrictive measures”.
Regional leaders have been fighting in President Mugabe’s corner with the West and Europe, which sympathises with the MDC-T, arguing that that the removal of sanctions can only be achieved if they see real change on the ground regarding the implementation of the power sharing pact.
President Mugabe and ZANU-PF blame the targeted sanctions for the country’s 10-year recession.
The West and the MDC attribute the economic meltdown to what they view as the former ruling party’s skewed economic policies.
“The three parties to the power-sharing agreement need to find closure to the issue or the whole deal could collapse,” warned Eldred Masunungure, a professor of political science at the University of Zimbabwe.
“The issue is central to ZANU-PF and they won’t let go until the MDC stopped being ambiguous on the issue. If the sanctions are eventually removed, it’s a major boost for ZANU-PF, which has been persistent that the targeted measures or sanctions are the root cause of the country’s stagnation,” said Masunungure.
Ernest Mudzengi, a political analyst with the National Constitutional Assembly, said President Mugabe should be seen to be playing his part by having the measures removed by among other things, stopping the repo-rted ongoing farm disruptions.
“This is not a new issue (sanctions). ZANU-PF knows what should be done but they are using the issue of targeted san-ctions as a big bargaining tool in the inclusive government,” said Mudzengi.
“However, I don’t see Presi-dent Mugabe and ZANU-PF slackening their demands for the lifting of the measures. ZANU-PF leaders also want to visit Europe and the USA. This is important to them.”
Last week, the United Sta-tes said suggestions that the sanctions aga-inst President Mugabe and other leaders of ZANU-PF, including their families, should be lifted were premature.
“We do not believe that the GPA has been implemented and we do not believe that enough has been done,” said Johnny Carson, the US assistant secretary of State for Africa.
Carson said while the targeted measures would be maintained, Washington would continue pumping humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe.
“We think that it is important not to let the economic advantages that Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti (Finance Minister) bring to       the case to be exploited and used by (President) Robert Mugabe and others to secure further control of government,” Carson added.
Okay Machisa, the national director of ZimRights, said respect of human rights and the return of rule of law would be some of the barometers the US and the West would use to gauge whether or not the targeted measures should be revoked.
“But at the moment there is no evidence that human rights are being respected and that there is return of rule of law. Farms continue to be seized.The white farmers are still under attack in and around the commercial farming sector. This is hardly a reason for those who put the measures to remove them,” said Machisa.
The US and its European allies are digging their heels in, saying the targeted measures were directed at individuals in ZANU-PF they accused of continuing to destabilise the inclusive government.
The inclusive government requires about US$8,4 billion in financial support to nurse the country’s economy.
A perusal of the GPA, signed by ZANU-PF and the two formations of the MDC, show that the targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures ranks high after the restoration of economic stability and growth.
Article IV of the agreement says that the parties noted that the present economic and political isolation of Zimbabwe by the United Kingdom, the EU, the US and other sections of the international community were impo-sed on the country “over and around issues of disputed elections, governance and differences over the land reform programme.”
The parties that signed the GPA, brokered by former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, noted and acknowledged the enactment of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act by the US Congress, which outlaws Zimba-bwe’s right to access credit from the International Financial Institutions, in which the American government wields a lot of influence, as an impediment to economic recovery.
The parties further noted and acknowledged the suspension of Zimbabwe’s voting and related rights, suspension of balance of payments support, declaration of ineligibility to borrow, and suspension of technical assistance to Zimbabwe by the International Monetary Fund, the suspension of grants and infrastructural development support to the country by the World Bank and finally, the imposition of targeted travel bans against President Mugabe and other members of his former government, including some business leaders.
“Noting that this international isolation has over the years created a negative international perception of Zimbabwe and thereby resulting in the further isolation of the country by the non-availing of lines of credit to Zimbabwe by some sections of the international community,” reads part of Article IV of the GPA.