Unanimous Senate Votes to Sanction Mugabe, Charles Cobb Jr., AllAfrica.com
A bill halting bilateral trade and relations with Zimbabwe unanimously passed the House and Senate, and now moves to President Bush for approval, reports Charles Cobb Jr. of AllAfrica.com. The bill also imposes “personal” sanctions on President Mugabe and other government officials in retaliation for the breakdown of law in Zimbabwe. Such sanctions are extremely rare, reports Cobb, and “have been historically reserved for war criminals and dictators.” Ministers of the Southern African Development Community, a group aiming to reduce trade barriers and coordinate sustainable development policies in southern Africa, are also critical of Mugabe’s policies, but say the sanctions will threaten the economies of neighboring countries, too. “There can be no sanctions smart enough to affect Zimbabweans alone,” said Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge to SADC members. “Our destinies are intertwined.”
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