EU VIEWS SADC AS BEST VEHICLE TO PRESSURE ZIMBABWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000917 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR AF/S STEVE HILL DRL/MLGA JULIETA NOYES IO/RHS DOUG ROHN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM UNHCR ZI EUN BE SUBJECT: EU VIEWS SADC AS BEST VEHICLE TO PRESSURE ZIMBABWE REF: A. STATE 34009 ¶B. STATE 33357 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Laurence Wohlers for reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). 1.(C) Summary: EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana urged the government of Zimbabwe in a March 19 statement to respect the rule of law, and the German EU Presidency has issued three public statements since March 12 condemning Zimbabwe's violent crackdown of opposition politicians. The EU has instructed its Ambassadors in member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to urge those governments to hold Zimbabwe accountable under SADC regulations regarding good governance, fair elections, and respect for human rights. The EU does not believe that a resolution during the current session of the UN Human Rights Council would be productive. End Summary. 2.(C) Poloff delivered ref demarches March 20 to Peter Clausen, Deputy Head of the Africa Unit at the EU Council's General Secretariat, and to Didier Cosse, Human Rights administrator at the Council Secretariat. Clausen said the EU views SADC as the best vehicle to pressure Zimbabwe as a SADC member to honor its obligations under SADC agreements regarding good governance, rule of law, human rights, and free elections. The EU has instructed its Ambassadors in SADC capitals to demarche those governments and request that they pressure Zimbabwe to respect its SADC obligations. He said the EU views SADC as a better organization to deliver that message than the African Union, which is currently stretched thin responding to crises in Sudan and Somalia. The EU already has sanctions in place against the Zimbabwe leadership. 3.(C) Both Clausen and Cosse rejected the idea of working through the Human Rights Council (HRC) to pressure Zimbabwe. They said that given HRC dynamics and voting patterns, any action against Zimbabwe would likely be seen as an attack on Africa as a whole by the West and would dilute HRC efforts to take meaningful action against Sudan on Darfur. The EU is putting all its efforts during the current HRC session into achieving follow-up action on the HRC's recently released Sudan report and is optimistic that a number of African countries, including Zambia and Ghana, seem to be supporting the EU instead of voting in a bloc against it. 4.(U) The EU has issued four public statements since March 12 condemning Zimbabwe's abuse of opposition politicians. The first, on March 13, was a statement by the EU Presidency condemning "the violent break-up of a peaceful, church sponsored rally" during which one participant was killed, one was injured, and many, including opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, were arrested and abused. SIPDIS The second, also by the German Presidency, noted on March 14 the release of some opposition members and called for the immediate release of the rest. The Presidency said, "It was deeply concerned to learn of the serious injuries suffered by the opposition leaders as a result of maltreatment. The Presidency emphasizes once more the Zimbabwean Government's responsibility for the safety and well-being of those arrested. The Presidency will continue to observe events in Zimbabwe with interest." 5.(U) The third Presidency statement, issued March 18, said, in its entirety: "The EU Presidency was outraged and deeply concerned by the news of the arrest and brutal treatment of the opposition MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC) on 18 March. Mr. Chamisa was on his way to Brussels to attend a meeting of parliamentarians from ACP and EU countries. He is now lying in a critical condition in a Harare hospital under police guard. The MDC executive members Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinjeh, who were detained temporarily and mistreated by the police last week, were arrested again yesterday (Saturday) without being charged and prevented from travelling to South Africa for medical treatment. The opposition MP Arthur Muambara was also arrested once more. The Presidency welcomes the statements issued by John Kufuor, President of the African Union, and Bishop Tutu, who both protested against these incidents. The Presidency condemns these actions by the security forces in the strongest possible terms and calls on the Zimbabwean Government to release all BRUSSELS 00000917 002 OF 002 detained opposition politicians immediately, to enable them to have access to legal assistance and medical care, and to allow representatives of the EU Presidency to visit the detainees. It appeals to the Government to respect the rule of law and human rights and to refrain from doing anything which might lead to a further escalation of the situation in Zimbabwe." 6.(U) The most recent public statement, issued March 19 by Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy said, "I follow with growing concern the evolution of the situation in Zimbabwe, in particular the increasing use of direct violence against members of the opposition. I urge the authorities of Zimbabwe to work for the rule of law, without which it will be impossible for the people of Zimbabwe to overcome the current difficulties." Additionally, the European Parliament on March 19 forbade three Zimbabwean officials from entering Parliament. The officials, described as lower level members of the ruling party, were in Brussels to attend the meeting of African, Caribbean and European parliamentarians, the same meeting that Nelson Chamisa was trying to get to when he was detained and beaten at Harare International Airport on March 18. The European Parliament's action was only symbolic since the officials did not plan to attend Parliament, they were attending meetings at another location. But Glenys Kinnock, chairwoman of the EU delegation to the meeting, said it was "completely unacceptable" for the government delegation to have proceeded to Belgium knowing that Chamisa had been beaten. MCKINLEY .