Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the deterioration of human rights in Zimbabwe will be raised at the Council of Foreign Ministers; if he will seek to have an extension of the Europe-wide travel ban on President Mugabe and members of his Government and the restriction on the supply of military equipment to Zimbabwe when the issue becomes due for renewal on 20 February 2006; if he will include in the reasons for the extension of the restrictions the failure to restore an independent and impartial judiciary with full separation of powers, including repeal of the Zimbabwe constitutional amendment number 17; if he will work for the resolution of the humanitarian crisis by the immediate extension of food aid to all who need it and the guarantee of full and unimpeded access for the provision of aid and protection of the victims of the forced evictions and demolitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2873/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The General Affairs and External Relations Council, at its meeting in Brussels on 30 January 2006 which I attended, approved the renewal of the EU's restrictive measures against Zimbabwe for a further period of 12 months, until 20 February 2007.

I very much welcome this decision to renew these restrictive measures. This decision reflects the fact that there has been no progress by the Mugabe government in the past year towards meeting those benchmarks on improved respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law which the EU has set for reviewing its existing relations with Zimbabwe. On the contrary, the internal situation has clearly disimproved, particularly in the aftermath of the Zimbabwean Government's Operation Murambatsvina, launched last May, which resulted in an estimated 700,000 Zimbabweans being forcibly evicted from their homes or deprived of their livelihoods. The response of the Zimbabwean authorities to the worsening humanitarian situation which their actions have created continues to be inadequate. In particular, those responsible for planning and launching Operation Murambatsvina should be held accountable for their actions, as recommended by the UN Secretary General's special envoy, Anna Tibaijuka, who investigated these events last July.

The overall humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe remains critical, with the World Food Programme estimating that some 4.4 million Zimbabweans, representing one-third of the population, will require emergency food assistance this year. Ireland provided almost €2 million in emergency and recovery support, including food assistance, to the people of Zimbabwe during 2005 via the UN and agencies such as GOAL and Trócaire. Further funding is planned and will be announced shortly, in response to the UN World Food Programme's global appeal for $276 million for Zimbabwe for the current year. Ireland remains committed to delivering assistance directly to those most in need in Zimbabwe through a broad range of civil and aid organisations.

The political and human rights situation in Zimbabwe also continues to be of concern. The overall climate remains one of repression, with restrictions on the media and peaceful civil and trade union demonstration continuing to be suppressed. An unwelcome development was the adoption of a constitutional amendment by the Zimbabwean parliament last August, amendment number 17, which allows the Zimbabwean government to confiscate the passports of those whom it regards as undermining the national interest. Following a ruling by the Zimbabwean High Court last month declaring such seizure of passports illegal, enabling legislation is now likely to be prepared to give effect to this particular provision.

It is clear that international pressure needs to be maintained on the Mugabe government to alter its current policies. African governments and organisations such as the African Union are in a particular position to exert influence in this regard. The adoption by the African commission on human and peoples' rights, at its recent session in The Gambia, of a resolution condemning the human rights violations currently being perpetrated in Zimbabwe and urging the Zimbabwean Government to respect its international human rights obligations, demonstrates the widespread concern which now exists within Africa itself regarding the course upon which Zimbabwe is currently embarked.

Ireland, along with our EU partners, remains committed to working with others in the international community to help promote democratic change in Zimbabwe. The possibility of the EU reviewing and extending certain of its restrictive measures currently in place remains an option in the absence of any underlying improvement in Zimbabwe.