Zimbabwe Vigil Intensifies Campaign Against Mugabe Visit To France

The EU is meeting in Feburary next year, to decide on the renewal of sanctions against President Mugabe and his cabinet. Rumour around town is that some European countries want to slacken the sanctions. God Forbid.

Help stop the crumbling of European Union (EU) targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his cronies EU targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime are due to be renewed in February 2007. There are
worrying signs that these are crumbling. We have been advised that the French government (particularly President Chirac) is considering inviting Mugabe to a France / Africa summit in
Cannes in February and that Portugal which takes over the EU Presidency in July wants to invite Mugabe to an AU / EU summit to be held during its Presidency. The Vigil has already sent a letter to the French Embassy asking the new French Ambassador to Zimbabwe to do all he can to stop the French invitation (Vigil epresentatives briefed the Ambassador in September before he took up his appointment). The Vigil has also contacted trade unions in this country asking them to involve French trade unionists in the campaign to prevent Mugabe from being invited. The TUC recently held a protest outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in solidarity with
Zimbabwean trade unionists after they were so brutally treated for trying to hold a peaceful protest. ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa, the successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement) is asking
people to lobby their MPs / MEPs to insist that EU
targeted sanction are renewed. Please help by: Lobbying President Chirac of France: attached is a suggested letter to him in French and English - please print the version you prefer to send, insert your address, the date and your signature and post it to President Chirac. We have signed it 'Concerned Zimbabwean' please adapt this
as appropriate to yourself.