Dutch farmers sue Mugabe (30-11-06)

tected by an international investment agreement between the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, are suing the Mugabe regime for the loss of their land, their assets and their livelihoods.
This test case will open the way for thousands of other displaced commercial farmers to sue the government for the loss of their property.
The government has said it will not pay for the land, but only for improvements. It has been advertising recently in the state-controlled media for affected farmers “to contact them as a matter of urgency in connection with their compensation”.
International lawyers have advised the farmers not to respond to this as government was offering to pay them only 10% of the real value of their assets.
They say the government has not complied with the applicable legislation in assessing compensation and the notice published in the newspapers was therefore invalid.
“We remain of the opinion that unless farmers are desperate and are prepared to accept about 10% of the value, then they should wait,” advised the lawyers.
The International Centre for the Settlement of Disputes (ICSID), which is normally based in Washington, will meet in Paris on December 15. The first hearing will be by a tribunal of three arbitrators – Dean Ron Cass, a notable legal man and a citizen of the USA appointed by the farmers, the Minister of Justice of Pakistan appointed by Zimbabwe, and Judge Gilbert Guillaume of France as Chairman. Judge Guillaume is a former President of the International Court of Justice and is a designee of the Government of France to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators
At this hearing they will set a timetable for the parties to present written submissions, and for the actual hearing.
Security minister Didymus Mutasa has said in the past that the international agreements were not worth the paper on which they were signed. – Own correspondent