EU delegation set to meet Zimbabwe key leaders

A high-level European Union (EU) delegation is expected to meet with Zimbabwe President and Prime Minister over the weekend in efforts to mend the EU-Zimbabwe broken ties.

The EU Aid Commissioner Karel de Gucht and Swedish Minister for international development Gunilla Carlsson are expected in the country after attending an EU-South Africa summit where they will hold meetings with President Robert Mugabe, PM Morgan Tsvangirai, government officials and NGO representatives in the country on the way foreword in normalizing the EU-Zimbabwe relations

The delegation in its statement said the EU wants the varying leaders to resume talks and end politically driven violence, strengthening of the law, improvement in media freedom and major reforms carried out in government institutions that will lead to reconsidering lifting of the sanctions placed against the country by the EU.

Even after signing of the power-sharing pact early September last year, the coalition government is still divided on issues of equal sharing of posts, and continued rivalry among the two coalition parties’ supporters continues to pose threats to a lasting peace.[ER]