European parliament criticises sanctions failure

European parliamentarians meeting in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday lashed out at some European Union (EU) member states for their failure to implement sanctions imposed on the Zimbabwean government. Michael Gahler, a German member of the European Parliament told IRIN that besides calling for tougher sanctions against Zimbabwe, parliamentarians expressed "disappointment that sanctions, in practice, have not worked." The reference was to France in particular, who had asked for a suspension of the travel ban on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to EU countries to enable him to attend a Franco-African summit last year. The move had caused some acrimony between the French and British governments. Without naming the parliamentarians, Gahler said some had argued that they had to "respect the international Vienna protocol on diplomatic relations, but I argued that we have the right to diplomatic reprisal - which is a means to indicate our discontent towards someone who has broken several international conventions." A resolution calling on EU governments to toughen and renew the sanctions, which expire on February 20, was on the table. It was adopted by a majority of 66 votes in favour with four against and two abstentions. The EU parliament's resolutions do not have to be implemented by member states. Moving the resolution was Geoffrey Van Orden, the British Conservative party spokesperson on human rights in the European parliament, who also had a strong word for the dissenting EU members. Addressing the parliament he said: "This House has previously called for more effective action by the council on six separate occasions. To date, the council has failed to heed these calls." The targeted sanctions, implemented two years ago, imposed a travel ban on Mugabe and other Zimbabwean officials and their spouses, and also froze their assets in Europe. While commending the Commonwealth's decision in December to continue Zimbabwe's suspension, the resolution on Thursday regretted the EU's failure to make any "effective impact on the policies of Zimbabwe's neighbours." The resolution also strongly criticised the failure of "some southern African governments to exert any pressure on the ZANU-PF regime."