US moves to repeal sanctions law
in [Physics]
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From: as on 13 Aug 2010 04:59 US moves to repeal sanctions law http://www.thestandard.co.zw Wednesday, 11 August 2010 15:30 A United States senator, Jim Inhofe, who is also a member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday introduced a bill to repeal sanctions imposed on President Robert Mugabe and his cronies. The new bill called the Zimbabwe Sanctions Repeal Act of 2010 seeks to lift the sanctions imposed in 2001 to stop alleged human rights violations by the Zanu PF government. It also seeks to restore economic prosperity and aid the nation's transition to democracy, according to a draft seen by The Standard. Inhofe said he commended the efforts of the power-sharing government in reducing inflation and improving the GDP and basic government services like health care, education and transportation. "It is my hope that my legislation will help Zimbabwe return to being called the "Breadbasket of Africa" and continue on the road to democracy." he said. The bill says the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 was burdening the government of national unity (GNU) and must be repealed in order to fully restore economic vibrancy and help Zimbabwe's transition to democracy. The US economic sanctions were imposed against Zimbabwe as a result of Mugabe's oppressive leadership and fiscally irresponsible programmes that caused the collapse of the economy. The sanctions directed the US to oppose and vote against any extension of loans, credit, or guarantees to the Zimbabwe government as well as cancellation of Harare's debts to the US or any international financial institution. Inhofe says the formation of the inclusive government in 2008 by Mugabe's Zanu PF and the two MDC formations has seen the economy recovering and democratic freedoms re-emerging in the southern African country. He said since the appointment of Finance minister Tendai Biti, the country's economy had seen remarkable recovery characterised by the reduction of inflation from a high of 15 trillion percent in 2008 to 5,1% one year later. Since the formation of the inclusive government the country's GDP improved, increasing from 14,4% in 2008 to 3,7% in 2009. The country also adopted multiple currencies to ensure easy economic transitions. Mugabe is accused of causing Zimbabwe's economic collapse after his supporters and war veterans led the invasion of productive white-owned farms, where most of the foreign currency was being generated. Information Minister Webster Shamu welcomed the US Senator's move saying the sanctions were not supposed to be there in the first place. He said the sanctions were illegal, not targeted and caused a lot of suffering to ordinary Zimbabweans. "I have not seen the text of the bill but what I can say is that there was no justification for imposing them in the first place because they are not smart nor are they targeted," said Shamu. "We are in our current problems because of sanctions imposed on us by the West." Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's spokesperson James Maridadi said their position on the sanctions would be made known after they study the bill. "We have heard about its existence and only after we have seen and studied it can we give an informed comment," said Maridadi. After being debated in the Senate, the bill is expected go to the House of Representatives, where it will go through three reading stages. After passing through both the Senate and Congress it will be sent to the American president for his signature. Political analyst John Makumbe said chances that the bill will be passed through both houses were very high. "Its changes are very good because it started with 36 senators supporting it," said Makumbe, a University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer. "Normally, a bill starts with three or four supporters and gains support with time which is different from this one." He expected the bill to pass both houses in a period of one month. The Southern African Development Community and the African Union (AU) have also called for an end to the restrictions imposed by the European Union and US. BY CAIPHAS CHIMHETE
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