Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LONDON1853
2008-07-15 11:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy London
Cable title:
ZIMBABWE: UK LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD, TURNS TO EU
how-toVZCZCXRO7200 PP RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN RUEHTRO DE RUEHLO #1853 1971102 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 151102Z JUL 08 FM AMEMBASSY LONDON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9193 INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 0167 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 3250 RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1224
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001853
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KDEM ZI ZU UK
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: UK LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD, TURNS TO EU
FOR SANCTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4(b/d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001853
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KDEM ZI ZU UK
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: UK LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD, TURNS TO EU
FOR SANCTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4(b/d).
1. (C/NF) The Foreign Office continues to treat the situation in Zimbabwe as a crisis. After the July 11 defeat of the U.S. draft UNSCR on Zimbabwe, FCO Zimbabwe Team Leader Ben Llewellyn-Jones said July 14 HMG will "give Zimbabwe a break in the Security Council for a little while," especially since Prime Minister Brown feels as though "his nose has been bloodied" by the Russians. Instead, he said, HMG will pursue EU sanctions. The UK is aiming for three measures: add an additional 36 or 37 individuals to the current asset freeze and travel ban; sanction approximately ten companies; and limit the exceptions that allow Mugabe and others in the regime to travel to the EU, as Mugabe did for the Lisbon Summit and the UN World Food Summit in Rome. The FCO has requested, to the extent possible, the USG provide names and details of companies already subject to U.S. sanctions. Embassy London requests the Department consider sharing company names and details with HMG to bolster the UK's argument for EU sanctions.
2. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones said there has been some opposition to additional sanctions amongst EU partners. Germany continues to question the legality of some of the instruments, and some of the Southern European states (like Greece, Spain, and Italy) have their "usual existential problems with sanctions." He said the U.S. could be helpful in two ways with specific groups of European countries. He thought a general demarche to the entire EU would be counterproductive. First, he suggested, the USG could approach UNSC member states in Europe to encourage them to weigh in the EU to push forward tougher EU measures. Second, he said, the USG could approach Eastern European states (like Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungry) to encourage them to support EU sanctions. Llewellyn-Jones said that Foreign Secretary Miliband thought that Russia's veto in the Security Council could be useful in engaging these states. Miliband's view was that these states could be encouraged to support EU sanctions "as advocates of democracy, unlike Russia." Miliband also specifically suggested that engaging Georgia to reinforce democracy would be fruitful. Llewellyn-Jones said HMG would approach Germany and the Southern European states separately.
3. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones also said Miliband had asked Her Majesty's Treasury to look into financial flows of funding to the regime to see what pressure, if any, could be applied that way. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX TUTTLE
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KDEM ZI ZU UK
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: UK LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD, TURNS TO EU
FOR SANCTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4(b/d).
1. (C/NF) The Foreign Office continues to treat the situation in Zimbabwe as a crisis. After the July 11 defeat of the U.S. draft UNSCR on Zimbabwe, FCO Zimbabwe Team Leader Ben Llewellyn-Jones said July 14 HMG will "give Zimbabwe a break in the Security Council for a little while," especially since Prime Minister Brown feels as though "his nose has been bloodied" by the Russians. Instead, he said, HMG will pursue EU sanctions. The UK is aiming for three measures: add an additional 36 or 37 individuals to the current asset freeze and travel ban; sanction approximately ten companies; and limit the exceptions that allow Mugabe and others in the regime to travel to the EU, as Mugabe did for the Lisbon Summit and the UN World Food Summit in Rome. The FCO has requested, to the extent possible, the USG provide names and details of companies already subject to U.S. sanctions. Embassy London requests the Department consider sharing company names and details with HMG to bolster the UK's argument for EU sanctions.
2. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones said there has been some opposition to additional sanctions amongst EU partners. Germany continues to question the legality of some of the instruments, and some of the Southern European states (like Greece, Spain, and Italy) have their "usual existential problems with sanctions." He said the U.S. could be helpful in two ways with specific groups of European countries. He thought a general demarche to the entire EU would be counterproductive. First, he suggested, the USG could approach UNSC member states in Europe to encourage them to weigh in the EU to push forward tougher EU measures. Second, he said, the USG could approach Eastern European states (like Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungry) to encourage them to support EU sanctions. Llewellyn-Jones said that Foreign Secretary Miliband thought that Russia's veto in the Security Council could be useful in engaging these states. Miliband's view was that these states could be encouraged to support EU sanctions "as advocates of democracy, unlike Russia." Miliband also specifically suggested that engaging Georgia to reinforce democracy would be fruitful. Llewellyn-Jones said HMG would approach Germany and the Southern European states separately.
3. (C/NF) Llewellyn-Jones also said Miliband had asked Her Majesty's Treasury to look into financial flows of funding to the regime to see what pressure, if any, could be applied that way. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX TUTTLE