AFP/Harare


President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party yesterday dismissed as “outrageous and preposterous” the decision by European Union foreign ministers to only lift some sanctions against Zimbabwe.
“ZANU-PF will never accept any conditional removal of the illegal sanction or any self-serving initiatives meant to advance the economic interests of western nations,” party spokesman Rugare Gumbo said in a statement.
“Lifting of the illegal sanctions must be unconditional and total. We believe that the current move to partially lift the illegal sanctions is intended to serve the interests of nations that want rough diamonds from our mines.”
The statement came after officials said EU foreign ministers had lifted an asset freeze and travel ban against 21 Zimbabweans out of 112 currently on an EU blacklist and also struck one of 11 firms off the list.
The agreement comes 48 hours before the expiry of sanctions against the regime. It followed moves towards the adoption of a new constitution for Zimbabwe.
Gumbo said the partial lifting of sanctions was a western ploy to divide his party adding that the sanctions were illegal as they were not approved by the UN.
He said his party would continue to push for the total lifting of the sanctions.
Separately, the government yesterday began to distribute copies of a new draft constitution, a key reform ahead of elections later this year.
But a citizen’s group said police had detained three activists meeting to discuss the text, which is due to be voted on next month.
“We are starting distribution today of 90,000 copies of the draft constitution in various languages as well as braille and audio versions,” said Jessie Majome, a spokeswoman for the lawmakers who wrote the charter.
Police arrested three people at a meeting on the constitution process in the central town of Chegutu, according to the head of a group promoting citizen participation, the Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ).
“They were charged with organising and holding an illegal meeting and they are now being held at Kadoma police station,” CCDZ director Phillip Pasirayi told AFP.
Police could not immediately confirm the arrests.
The new constitution is a key reform ahead of an election in July to end a shaky power-sharing government between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Zimbabweans will vote on the charter, which notably limits presidential terms and reduces the president’s power, on March 16.
Yesterday’s edition of the state-owned Herald newspaper carried a pull-out copy of the draft constitution.