EU anger over Mugabe press law

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union has joined the United Kingdom in condemning the Zimbabwe parliament's approval of a tough new media law.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Zimbabwe's anti-press laws had virtually ruled out free and fair presidential elections in March.

Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill, passed by the parliament on Thursday, restricts access for foreign reporters and imposes tight controls on local media in the run-up to the elections.

The EU has given President Robert Mugabe until February 3 to allow in EU observers, or face targeted sanctions such as the freezing of his assets and accounts held abroad and a European visa ban on senior government figures and their families.

Straw said the media law would have to be considered by the EU next week when it weighed up whether to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Speaking in Washington where he had talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Straw said: "I wholly condemn the passage of these press laws.

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"I find it almost impossible to comprehend how free and fair elections can be held in Zimbabwe when such laws have been passed.

"That will be a matter which will have to be weighed very carefully in the balance by the European Union to decide whether the sanctions which in principle were decided upon early this week ought to be triggered."

European Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten said in a statement: "We are profoundly disappointed that Zimbabwe's parliament has passed this law, which represents a fundamental attack on media freedom."

However, commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin told a daily news briefing that the new law did not make sanctions inevitable.

"The law does allow for internationally accredited media to operate for a limited period (during the election)."

Udwin added that Zimbabwe had also indicated it would allow EU election observers to deploy in the country in good time before the election, though Harare has also made clear that the team should not include British citizens.

Britain, Zimbabwe's former colonial power, has been the strongest international critic of Mugabe, who faces the biggest opposition challenge to his rule since he led the southern African country to independence 22 years ago.

Britain is pushing for Zimbabwe to be suspended from the Commonwealth by the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting which takes place near Brisbane, Australia, next month just days before Zimbabwe's elections.

Earlier this week, the Commonwealth rejected a British call to suspend Zimbabwe from the 54-nation group.