Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy has asked a number of difficult questions and I cannot answer the question about the effectiveness of the EU sanctions. However, they were reviewed last February and they are continually reviewed. The sanctions involve a travel ban and the seizure of assets of key figures associated with the Mugabe regime but I will forward the Deputy a detailed note about the monitoring and evaluation undertaken by the EU regarding the sanctions.

He raised the larger issue of how effective sanctions are generally. If sanctions regimes are properly operated, they can be successful, depending on the circumstances. The humanitarian aid provided by Ireland and the EU is effective but the situation in Zimbabwe is difficult. Millions of people are facing hunger because of this disastrous and badly led regime and the solution is to maintain pressure. The greatest disappointment among European donor governments is the tardiness of African leaders to condemn Mr. Mugabe. However, the Financial Times reports today that President Mbeki of South Africa has thrown his weight behind the UN Secretary General's proposal to visit Harare to meet Mr. Mugabe and his cohorts. I hope this initiative will succeed because Zimbabweans are facing the appalling vista of further misery, poverty and hunger, which will not let up. There is nothing to be up-beat about and the only scrap of hope is that President Mbeki and other African leaders will bring pressure to bear on the Mugabe regime and that Kofi Annan will prove effective in persuading Mr. Mugabe to alter his course.

There has been speculation, according to the Financial Times report, that a putative deal may be arranged as part of Kofi Annan's visit whereby Mr. Mugabe will give a clear timetable for his own retirement and, in exchange, he may not be the subject of a prosecution for the various misdeeds he has perpetrated in the recent past. Hopefully, that will succeed. I share the Deputy's concern and I will get back to him regarding a detailed evaluation of the sanctions by the EU, if it exists. It is timely to discuss the evaluation of humanitarian assistance because the EU is evaluating its emergency intervention in the Asian tsunami. Each crisis is different and it is difficult to evaluate how effective is humanitarian aid, but we reckon it is fairly effective.

Ireland has provided €12 million in aid to Zimbabwe since 2004 and we have not done so blindly or blithely. The money has been donated to NGOs on the ground, which have formed strong local partnerships. Generally, the money is disbursed through the UN family of aid agencies, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF. The remaining money is expended by Irish NGOs in Zimbabwe. The International Red Cross is always reliable when emergencies and disasters occur and we support that organisation because it has a strong track record.

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