Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Baroness Hoey (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 23 May 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Zimbabwe

Question: Have Her Majesty’s Government made any protest to the European Commission about the fact that the Humanitarian Aid and Development Commissioner met the Zimbabwean Finance Minister in Brussels recently? He was given a visa—perhaps, technically, he was allowed to have one—but surely his meeting with the commissioner goes against the whole spirit of the European Union sanctions. It sends out the message that, if the European Union will meet Zimbabwe, why should the African Union not do so?

Answer: I know that my hon. Friend has taken a long and sustained interest in the situation in Zimbabwe, and I know from her observations in the House of her personal commitment to trying to resolve the appalling situation faced by the people of Zimbabwe. That is really the issue. Clearly, we want to see sustained pressure on the regime and further international action to isolate Mugabe’s leadership. At the same time, we have no quarrel whatever with the people of Zimbabwe, and we need to continue to find effective ways to allow food aid in particular to reach them. Above all, the tragedy of Zimbabwe is that it was the country that fed many other countries of southern Africa over a long period, and it is now incapable of feeding itself. We need to ensure that we do not take action that further damages the interests of the people of that country.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 446 c1320
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Politics and government Zimbabwe International relations International Monetary Fund Foreign relations United Nations Sanctions EU external relations
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk