In the latest sign of thawing relations between Harare and Brussels, the bloc announced in a statement released on Tuesday that an amount of 25 million had been earmarked for interventions in Zimbabwe in 2009, of which 10 million would be for general humanitarian aid and 15 million goes towards food aid.
In the light of the above, and in order to avoid gaps in funding to humanitarian interventions, it is proposed to commit 8 million from the general humanitarian budget line in May 2009 (and) to launch an ad hoc decision from the food aid budget line in June 2009 amount to be specified as a result of the April programming mission in order to ensure timely funding to food assistance interventions starting in September 2009, the EC said.
The balance of 2 million from the general humanitarian aid budget line would be reserved for a further ad hoc decision later this year, possibly September in respect of any new needs, or to consolidate actions to be funded from the current decision.
The EC, however, cited the fragility of Zimbabwes unity government as a potential constraint to the implementation of its humanitarian programme.
The possibility of the collapse of the power-sharing arrangement and a return to civil unrest cannot, unfortunately, be ignored, it warned.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai have differed on appointments of central bank governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.
The 85-year-old leader last week came to Gonos aid, dismissing criticism of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) chief and insisting the man was going nowhere.
Tsvangirai who is prime minister in the unity government and is seen by many as the reason behind the apparent relaxation in Western conditions for re-engagement with Zimbabwe has pushed for Gonos ouster, accusing the RBZ chief of economic sabotage.
Western donors have also shown their displeasure in the continued presence of Gono by ensuring that all future funding bypasses the official government structures and by withholding much-needed budgetary support to the Zimbabwean authorities.
Gono is credited with single-handedly ruining Zimbabwes economy through his money-printing activities since becoming RBZ governor in December 2003.
Tsvangirais Movement for Democratic Change has since referred its dispute with Mugabe over the appointments of Gono and Tomana to the 15-member Southern African Development Community for arbitration.
Another potential deal-breaker between Mugabe and Tsvangirai is continued arrest and harassment of MDC activists by the police and Zanu (PF) supporters.
The European body observed that the situation in Zimbabwe was continuously evolving, which may necessitate new needs over the coming months, hence the decision to set aside part of the aid money for future actions.
The EC said it was also planning a potential inter-service mission to Zimbabwe comprising representatives from the EC department for development, EuropeAid, EC external relations department (RELEX) and the ECs Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).
The objective of the mission would be to identify a short-term support strategy for Zimbabwe following the establishment of the unity government.
The European Union is one of the Western groups that have been critical of Mugabes policies and has maintained economic sanctions against the Zimbabwean leader and his henchmen since 2002.
.. and calls for moratorium on farm invasions
HARARE The European Union (EU) urged authorities in Harare to impose a moratorium on all land invasions, saying this could improve the image of the Zimbabwe’s tourism profile.
“I still feel that as the European Commission and European Union that the government should announce a moratorium on farm invasions and conservancies,” Xavier Marchal head of the EU in Zimbabwe said last Thursday.
“If there is no wildlife, there is no tourism and there are no investors. I have proposed that we make a joint trip to the Save Conservancy and lowveld.”
Marchal made the remarks after meeting Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare.
We discussed the issue of moratorium on the farms and conservancies.”
Conservationists say hundreds of elephants have been forced to migrate across strife-torn Zimbabwes borders, fleeing poachers and human encroachment into wildlife areas. Marchal also expressed concern on the decline of sugar production in the lowveld saying 300 000 metric tonnes of sugar was being produced compared to the 600 000 tonnes of sugar that used to be produced from the region.
Over the past three months, Zimbabwe has witnessed an upsurge in land invasions, despite formation of new power-sharing government in February.
Long time political rivals President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed a power-sharing government to tackle Zimbabwes economic and humanitarian crisis.
Marchal said the EU welcomed the power sharing deal but acknowledged that the agreement was going through “difficult times”. “It is the desire of the European Union to enter into genuine dialogue with the Zimbabwe government.”
Zimbabwes tourism sector, at one time one of the three biggest foreign currency earners in the country, is now a shadow of its former self after Mugabe stepped up violence against political opponents 10 years ago.
Tourists stayed away from Zimbabwe in their thousands, fearing for their safety and photographic safaris dropped sharply during years of political and economic turmoil since the often violent seizures of thousands of white-owned farms began in 2000, disrupting the agriculture-based economy in the former regional breadbasket.
More than 700 families, with tacit approval from the government, invaded Gonarezhou National Park in the southeastern border with South Africa and Mozambique around 2000 as part of the governments violent land reforms, putting pressure on the wildlife conservancy.
As the economic crisis deepened poaching of animals intensified and conservationists already have raised alarm with CITES, a world body that regulates trade in endangered species, for Zimbabwe’s rare rhinos after a sharp increase in poaching over the past year because of a breakdown of law enforcement in the country.
The formation of a government of national unity has raised hopes the political crisis will dissipate and allow the economy to pick up again and with it the tourism sector.
ZimOnline
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