Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The situation in Zimbabwe remains dire. The country effectively has not been governed since March 2008 and after years of mismanagement and neglect, its infrastructure appears to be in terminal collapse. Inflation continues unabated and those in power have found no better response than to print ever larger bank notes, the most recent of which was a 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar note, which then quickly lose their value. Millions of Zimbabweans are dependent on food aid and on what friends and relatives can send them from abroad. One of the most tragic symptoms of the failure of governance in Zimbabwe is the ongoing cholera epidemic, which is estimated by the World Health Organisation to have cost more than 2,500 lives. Those who protest against this state of affairs and against the abuse of human rights risk arrest and there are reports that some of those in custody, including Ms Jestina Mukoko, may have been tortured.

Discussions last week between President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai resulted in no further progress towards the establishment of a power-sharing government, as agreed in principle last September. The central issue remains the allocation of key Ministries between ZANU-PF and the MDC.

Zimbabwe's neighbours, who have the greatest capacity to exert influence in this troubled country, bear the greatest responsibility to exert pressure towards a solution. The extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe held yesterday by the Southern African Development Community, SADC, outlined a formula for the formation of a unity government by mid-February, with Mr. Tsvangirai to become Prime Minister on 11 February. However, despite claims that this was agreed by the MDC, there is considerable doubt over whether this is in fact the case and the MDC council is to meet at the end of the week. There seem to be few grounds for confidence at present that the arrangements proposed will provide a basis for progress towards a meaningful resolution to the current crisis.

Although the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy and the isolation of the Mugabe regime mean that unfortunately, EU leverage is limited, we are using every avenue open to us. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council yesterday, my EU colleagues and I formally renewed the EU's targeted restrictive measures against individuals and businesses that have supported or participated in the destruction wrought by the Mugabe regime. We also added new names and a number of companies to the list. We are determined to target the regime's finances, that is, the revenues used to support the lifestyle of the elite, to keep the security services on its side and to cushion Mugabe and his cronies from the economic catastrophe they have created.

The European Union continues to provide humanitarian support to Zimbabweans and to press for greater involvement by SADC or the African Union in the mediation process. Yesterday, we reconfirmed that the EU stands ready to support the economic and social recovery of Zimbabwe once a government is formed that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people and which returns to respect for human rights, the rule of law and responsible macroeconomic management.

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