Zim situation turns for worse: EU

The (human rights) situation here in Zimbabwe has changed for the worse, said Dell Ariccia, who was speaking moments after a ceremony to handover vehicles for use by Zimbabwes health department.

Zimbabwes deputy health minister Douglas Mombeshora had earlier used the ceremony to criticise the EU sanctions and call for their lifting.

Ambassador . take the word back (to Brussels) and say whatever you call them… targeted (sanctions) or not they must be removed so that we work as partners in improving the health of Zimbabwe, Mombeshora had said.

The EU alongside the United States, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, imposed targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top officials nine years ago as punishment for allegedly stealing elections, human rights violations and failure to uphold the rule of law.

Dell Ariccia said the EU visa and financial bans would remain in place until the bloc was convinced the unity government of Mugabe and Primer Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was moving to implement democratic reforms and to uphold human rights.

We hope to receive enough signal in respect of reforms for us to consider lifting the sanctions otherwise the situation remains the same, said Dell Ariccia, whose comments come amid resurgent political violence and human rights abuses in many parts of Zimbabwe blamed on Mugabes supporters in the military and his ZANU PF party.

With violence on the increase, the police have on the other hand stepped up a crackdown on members of Tsvangirais MDC-T party and his allies in civil society, arresting several on charges human rights lawyers say are trumped up.

A meeting of the Southern Africa Development Communitys special security organ last week sharply criticised political violence in Zimbabwe and urged Mugabe and Tsvangirai to speed implementation of their power-sharing agreement, including the adoption of a new and democratic constitution that should pave way for free and fair elections.

South African President Jacob Zuma, appointed by SADC to mediate between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, is drafting a roadmap to ensure Zimbabwes next vote is free and fair.

Under Zumas roadmap, elections will follow a referendum on a new constitution, while the plan will also set milestones such as electoral reforms, the role of security forces and how to smoothly transfer power.

But Mugabe, whose military allies are feared could block Tsvangirai from taking power should he win elections, said Zuma was merely a facilitator who could not prescribe solutions to Zimbabwe.

Mugabe insists elections would be held in accordance only with the Zimbabwes Constitution and laws.

Analysts say neither a new constitution nor Zumas roadmap could end political violence in the absence of a major reform and restructuring of the security forces whose top brass are hardline backers of Mugabe and have been accused of masterminding violence in the past to keep the veteran leader and his ZANU PF party in power.

Mugabe — who says the West imposed sanctions in a bid to weaken him and eventually cause his ouster from power as punishment for seizing land from white farmers — has blocked reforms in the security sector saying these and other key reforms could only take place after the sanctions have been first removed.