SP(2008)4891

Results of vote in Parliament

Following the debate which took place during the sitting of 9 July 2008, the European Parliament adopted by 591 votes in favour to 8 against with 21 abstentions, a resolution on the situation in Zimbabwe. The resolution had been tabled for consideration in plenary by the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, UEN, and Greens/EFA groups.

Parliament recalls the Zimbabwean presidential run off took place on 27 June 2008 despite the withdrawal of the presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai due to increasing violence and restrictions on the opposition party and supporters. Those elections cannot be regarded as legitimate. Parliament welcomes the Council Presidency's statement of 28 June 2008 clearly stating this position. It strongly condemns the government-sponsored campaign of violence , which resulted in the killing, arbitrary arrest and harassment of opposition activists as well as human rights defenders. This campaign of violence made a free and fair run-off presidential election in Zimbabwe impossible.

Members welcome the G8 leaders' statement on Zimbabwe of 8 July 2008, in particular their refusal to accept the legitimacy of any government that does not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people, their recommendation to appoint a Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and their intention to introduce financial and other measures against those individuals responsible for violence.

Members call for South Africa to assume a key role in the SADC region for the future of Zimbabwe, and deeply regret South Africa's refusal in the UNSC to declare this election illegitimate. They call on all African countries and the wider international community to refuse to recognise the Mugabe regime. The AU, the SADC and the UN must facilitate an inclusive mediation process with clear timeframes for negotiations, enabling a rapid solution to the Zimbabwe crisis, based on free and fair elections. For the mediation effort to lead to productive national dialogue, other external actors alongside President Thabo Mbeki must be brought in, and internal dialogue should not be restricted to the two political parties, but rather include other civil society actors such as NGOs, churches, trade unions and the parliament.

The resolution calls for the following :

-a negotiated settlement of the current crisis, leading to the creation of a transitional administration;

-an independent investigation of the human rights violations which were committed. Parliament insists that those responsible must not enjoy impunity ;

-the rehabilitation of the victims and transitional justice measures, including the setting-up of a truth and reconciliation commission;

- China and Libya to cease their support for the Mugabe regime;

- South African authorities and Member States not to deport Zimbabwean refugees and to grant them a temporary status until a safe return is possible.

The Council and Commission (as appropriate) are asked to do the following :

- extend targeted sanctions against members of the Mugabe regime and others responsible for grave violations of human rights, if mediation efforts are not accepted and the state-sponsored violence is not ended, and to press for sanctions to be adopted at UN level, including an arms embargo and a comprehensive freeze of assets of the entire government and ruling party leadership. Such coercive measures should name and shame those business people responsible for financing the repressive ZANU-PF regime, including rescinding their rights of residence in Europe, and denying their family members access to employment and educational institutions, as well as exposing to shareholders the international banks which act as conduits for corrupt earnings, or provide loans and investment such as Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered and others. Parliament encourages other companies to review any activities that allow the regime access to hard currency and, in this context, welcomes Tesco's and Giesecke & Devrient's decision to end business relations with Zimbabwe;

- to step up the diplomatic engagement with African governments, the SADC and the AU, as well as the Chinese Government , in order to identify common positions;

- to engage specifically with South Africa , as the key country of the region, in order to express deep concern at the failure to produce any tangible mediation results, to point out that the impact of this crisis on neighbouring countries, including South Africa, should not be disregarded and to clarify that continued political and economic support for the Mugabe regime might have negative effects on relations between the EU and South Africa;

- to push for effective international conflict-prevention and mitigation measures, if necessary with the rapid deployment of AU/UN peacekeeping troops;

- to step up support for human rights defenders and react swiftly to additional humanitarian needs caused by the political crisis, in particular with regard to the needs and safety of internally displaced people;

- to halt any aid that is distributed through the current Zimbabwean authorities and to channel it through national and international independent institutions and organisations instead. Members welcome Commissioner Michel's commitment to increase support by pledging EUR 250 million in development aid, once democracy returns and a legitimate government elected.

Parliament asks Member States not to grant any visa to Robert Mugabe , his cabinet and the ZANU PF leadership for any national or international purpose on EU territory, as they, represent an illegitimate de facto regime.

Parliament notes the devastating impact that the political crisis is having upon the people of Zimbabwe, and expresses its concern about the 10% to 40% predicted increase in numbers of Zimbabweans crossing borders in the next few weeks. Among these migrants, children will be in a particularly vulnerable situation, at risk of abuse and forced to take up dangerous jobs such as mining, handling farm machinery or sex work in order to survive.

Lastly, Parliament calls on those of goodwill in the structures of the regime and in ZANU-PF to take action to cooperate with the MDC in bringing about rapid change before it is too late.

T6-0364/2008

B6-0347/2008

A motion for a resolution winding up this debate was due to be put to the vote on 10 July 2008.

Debate in Parliament