EU Still Monitoring Zimbabwe Political Situation
'The only thing that happened is that on September 27 the ZMDC was delisted but for the rest we are still on kind of stand-by position'
WASHINGTON DC — The European Union (EU) representative to Zimbabwe says the regional group is still in a “stand-by mode” in its rather complicated relationship with Harare and is still waiting for full election reports from African institutions to begin dialogue with Zimbabwe. This follows remarks by President Robert Mugabe on Thursday that the EU must lift sanctions to boost trade with his country, even if the bloc is not keen on removing the travel ban on him and his inner circle. Mr. Mugabe was speaking during the presentation of credentials by four new ambassadors from Europe and a similar number from African countries at State House in Harare. The European Union had promised to lift sanctions after a free and fair election. Zimbabwe refused to allow election observers from the EU, forcing the bloc to say it will rely on reports from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. The European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell 'Ariccia said they are yet to make a determination on normalizing ties with Harare. “For the moment nothing is being decided. The only thing that happened is that on the 27 of September the ZMDC or Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation was delisted but for the rest we are still on kind of stand-by position,” he said. Political analyst and director of the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute Pedzisayi Ruhanya said it’s time for dialogue between the EU and Zimbabwe.