Belgium splits EU on sanctions Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy
Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy

Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy

Felex Share Herald Reporter
CRACKS have emerged within the European Union over the bloc’s illegal economic sanctions regime, with Belgium calling for the immediate lifting of sanctions on diamond mining companies in the wake of the widely-hailed harmonised elections.

While the US, Britain and its dominions — Australia and Canada — have refused to endorse the elections, the EU as a bloc has not pronounced itself on the sanctions; and is on record pledging to be guided by Sadc.

Sadc has since endorsed the elections as free, peaceful, generally credible and a reflection of the will of Zimbabweans.
The divisions come at a time when the Government’s sanctions lawsuit against the European bloc is set for hearing in the Belgian capital by the end of this month or early October.

Brussels, the centre of the global diamond trade and home to Antwerp, the world’s leading diamond trading hub, is pushing for the removal of the illegal sanctions on the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation as it angles to tap into the country’s vast reserves that are tipped to command 25 percent of the international market.

ZMDC is in joint venture partnerships with five diamond mining companies at Chiadzwa, whose operations have all been certified by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a development that flies in the face of claims by the EU bloc that the Chiadzwa gems fall in the ambit of conflict diamonds.

ZMDC operates five joint-venture mines in the Marange diamond fields that produced a combined eight million carats of the gems last year and generated US$684,5 million in exports.

Of the US$684,5 million, Mbada Diamonds contributed US$308,3 million, followed by Anjin with US$209,9 million, Diamond Mining Corporation US$100,8 million and Marange Resources US$236 317.

Total earnings from mineral exports last year were US$2,54 billion, inclusive of the US$1,86 billion that was received from other minerals that excluded diamonds.

Belgian foreign ministry spokesperson Mr Hendrik van de Velde this week said the sanctions on ZMDC should be lifted, a stance at odds with other EU countries, particularly Britain which tried to i9nternationalise its purely bilateral dispute with Zimbabwe.

The push to lift the sanctions, Mr Van de Velde said, was in line with the agreement made by EU foreign ministers in February that the bloc should lift the sanctions on ZMDC within a month after the elections unless member states unanimously agreed that the election was not credible.

The harmonised elections have been endorsed by the African Union, Sadc, Comesa, the African Caribbean and Pacific countries as well as over 40 countries worldwide as a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people.

This has left EU member-states squabbling over how to interpret the agreement by the foreign ministers.

According to Mr Van de Velde, the EU has not refused to recognise the election and the February agreement should be respected, resulting in the lifting of the illegal sanctions on ZMDC.

“For us, there is an agreement,” Mr Van de Velde said.
He said diplomats from EU member states confirmed the February agreement last Friday and what was left was the drawing up of a legal instrument lifting the sanctions on ZMDC, something he expected to happen soon.

Some European diplomats also said it was inevitable that the bloc would lift sanctions on ZMDC in line with the February agreement.
ZMDC general manager Engineer Jerry Ndlovu yesterday said the sanctions were frustrating the company’s efforts to attract investors in the mining sector as well as affecting the country’s revenue inflows.

He said divisions among Western countries over the removal of the sanctions were a sign that the July 31 harmonised elections passed the test, a move countries hostile to Zimbabwe did not anticipate.

“These elections met the standards and that is why you are seeing the Western countries going against each other,” said Eng Ndlovu said.
“The sanctions should go because the ZMDC is failing to trade freely in its commodities. The embargo has restricted us to areas where prices are not decided in an open market and this is affecting our revenue. Our customers are frustrated because they are not able to approach us openly.”

Eng Ndlovu said the move by Belgium, which has always been interested in Zimbabwe’s diamonds, was welcome.
“This is a positive development and we are looking forward to seeing that they honour their agreement,” he said.

“With restrictions in place, we have been experiencing difficulties in resuscitating some of our mines. All we need is access to open markets like any other companies in the world. A lot of people are interested in partnering us, but are being turned away by these sanctions.”

Political commentators have called on Government to bust the illegal sanctions by devising strategies that divide the West.
They argue that during the 1960s and 70s, Europe was divided over whether to support Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle against the Rhodesian regime or not, with some countries calling the freedom fighters terrorists.

“So, the question is how can Zimbabwe divide Europe so that it becomes less formidable,” said Midlands State University lecturer Dr Nhamo Mhiripiri. “We should look at those that do not support the (EU) bloc’s position on Zimbabwe and work with them.”

 

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