EU meets on Zimbabwe sanctions

Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe's ZANU-PF of targeting opponents

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- European Union envoys have met in Brussels to consider sanctions against the ruling elite of Zimbabwe amid opposition allegations of attempts to affect next month's presidential elections.

Diplomats told Reuters that despite shrill rhetoric from Harare over the EU's team of election observers, the 15 nations' ambassadors were unlikely to impose sanctions.

"The ambassadors will consider the evidence so far and unless there is evidence of observers not being allowed in -- and I don't think there is any right now -- they will let things go on as they are," one diplomat told the news agency.

EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten was at the meeting on Wednesday with the ambassadors. Their decision was expected later in the day.

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President Robert Mugabe, 78 next month, has faced mounting international criticism over his backing for the often violent seizure of white-owned farms and his government's human rights record during the election campaign.

Zimbabwe's state-run daily newspaper accused the EU of arrogance and bullying on Wednesday and vowed the government would never accredit the Swedish head of the EU observers, whose mission is to help ensure the March 9-10 elections are free and fair.

The tough editorial in the Herald, traditional mouthpiece of President Robert Mugabe's government, looked likely to deepen the row over the deadlock over the head of the observer team, Pierre Schori.

But diplomats in Brussels said the EU was trying to respond coolly to Harare's rhetoric, aware that if sanctions were imposed all observers could be barred.

"Our main goal is to make sure the observers get in there and that they can do the job," said one diplomat. "This is why we are... not over-reacting to posturing from Harare. It's quite a fine balance."

The Zimbabwean government rejected Schori -- who had previously observed parliamentary election in Zimbabwe and submitted a critical report -- after his arrival on Monday. He was given a two-week tourist visa.

Mugabe accuses the MDC of being a front for local whites

Mugabe -- facing his greatest challenge in 22 years in power -- had already banned citizens of former colonial power Britain from the team, which will eventually number about 150 observers.

It emerged this week that Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge had pointedly failed to invite representatives from five other EU states: Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The Herald said Zimbabwe had the sovereign right to invite whoever it wanted to observe the election and the EU had no right to validate or criticise the poll.

"A big bully with astonishing arrogance is what the European Union has become to Zimbabweans," the editorial said.

EU foreign ministers agreed two weeks ago that if Zimbabwe prevented the deployment of observers or prevented the international media from covering the election freely, the EU would impose a travel ban on the top 20 individuals in Mugabe's inner circle and their families.

It would also freeze their foreign assets and ban the export to Zimbabwe of arms and other equipment that could be used for internal repression.

Officials said a decision on sanctions might be delayed until a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels next Monday.

Meanwhile the man who could replace Mugabe, opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, was held briefly at Harare airport after being accused of using false travel documents, his party said.

"Mr Tsvangirai was held for 20 minutes at the airport by state agents," Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesman Learnmore Jongwe told Reuters.

"They said he had lost his passport and was using a false travel document, but they found that he did have his passport and let him go."

Zimbabwe immigration officials said Tsvangirai's passport as only taken for a few minutes as part of routine immigration control checks.

"We simply asked for his passport. If we ask for your passport for two minutes is that detaining you?" one official said.

At election rallies at the weekend Tsvangirai said that elements close to Mugabe's ZANU-PF party as well as some police officials had deliberately targeted Mugabe's opponents.

"There are people in this country who have been killed, raped and assaulted and we're saying the government must take responsibility," Tsvangirai said.

Tsvangirai said Mugabe's "green bombers" -- the nickname given to graduates of a national youth service which critics say has been turned into a private party militia -- were still terrorising opposition supporters across the southern African country.

Mugabe accuses the MDC of being a front for local whites and his international opponents led by former colonial ruler Britain who he says want to unseat him in retaliation for his policy of allowing land seizures.