Belgium wants Zimbabwe diamond sanctions lifted

Belgium is demanding that the European Union lift sanctions on a Zimbabwean mining firm despite deep concerns within the Union over alleged fraud in a July election that kept President Robert Mugabe in power, reports Reuters. Belgium's call for the removal of sanctions on the state-run Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) has put it at odds with other EU countries such as Britain, which is reluctant to rush into a move that could be seen as rewarding Mugabe. EU states are squabbling over how to interpret an agreement by EU foreign ministers in February to lift sanctions on ZMDC within a month of the poll unless EU governments unanimously agreed the vote was not "peaceful, transparent and credible." This was part of an EU strategy of easing sanctions to try to encourage 89-year-old Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader who has ruled the former British colony for 33 years, to hold a fair election. However, Belgium argues that the EU has not refused to recognise the election and therefore the February agreement must be respected and sanctions on ZMDC lifted. "For us, there is an agreement," Belgian foreign ministry spokesman Hendrik Van de Velde said. He said the agreement was confirmed by diplomats from EU member states last Friday and it was now simply a question of drawing up a legal instrument lifting the sanctions on ZMDC, something he expected to happen soon. Belgium's interpretation of the debate is not shared by EU officials who say talks are still going on about what to do but, however unwelcome the move would be to Britain, some European diplomats say it is inevitable the bloc will have to lift sanctions on ZMDC in line with the February agreement. "At the end of the day, we have to delist ZMDC," a diplomat from one EU country said, asking not to be named.