EU imposes mild sanctions against Zimbabwe

European Union leaders today prepared the way for extending sanctions against Zimbabwe as they condemned this week's election which saw Robert Mugabe re-elected as president.

A draft statement to be adopted at the end of the two-day EU summit in Barcelona said the 15-nation bloc would continue humanitarian aid to Zimbabweans, but warned it would "consider possible additional targeted measures against its government."

Diplomats said EU foreign ministers at their meeting next month would consider widening the list of Mugabe aides subjected to financial restrictions and a ban on traveling to EU countries.

Last month, the EU imposed economic and diplomatic sanctions against Mugabe's government after he refused to let its observers freely monitor the elections.

The EU cut off development aid, banned all travel to the EU for Mugabe and 20 of his cabinet ministers and froze their assets in Europe.

EU governments threatened then that they would take further action if elections were not carried out fairly. Germany said it will stop its bilateral development aid.

Canada too cut government aid to Zimbabwe on Thursday and the United States has been coordinating with European allies about further possible measures against Mugabe.

However, despite anger at the restrictions on the media and election observers, violence and intimidation of opposition and other abuses, the EU reaction was restrained to avoid a rift with influential African nations such as South Africa and Nigeria where the results of last week's election have been welcomed.

The leaders said they would send a high-level delegation to meet with southern African leaders to discuss Europe's concerns.

The EU statement "condemned the matter in which, according to several independent sources, the government of Zimbabwe has organized these elections."

The leaders also expressed "concern about ongoing threats to the civil and political rights of senior members of the opposition."