Solve Zimbabwe issue Oct03 |
A Conservative MEP has rejected the
suggestion that the Zimbabwe problem is an issue for the UK alone. The
dispute arose at this week's ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) in
Rome during a debate on the recent fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe. The
mission aimed to resolve the deadlock between EU and ACP countries over
Zimbabwe following the cancellation of last year's JPA in Brussels. Bashir Khanbhai MEP, Conservative Spokesman
for ACP said: "
The Zimbabwe issue is not just a problem for the UK. Zimbabwe's record of
poor governance, lack of democracy, denial of human rights and
confiscation of land without due process of law, makes it a problem for
the entire world. "While
the ACP fact-finding mission was a step in the right direction, delegates
were presented with an incomplete picture. A future joint ACP-EU mission
must be guaranteed freedom of movement and freedom to publish its findings
both in Zimbabwe and abroad. "The
mission must have clear terms of reference assessing the state of
parliamentary democracy, the level of personal freedom, the independence
of the media and the judiciary and the problem of agrarian reform,
including the illegal confiscation of land without compensation. "It
is now up to the government of Zimbabwe to accept this challenge and allow
the EU to offer meaningful help to solve the problem of Zimbabwe once and
for all." |