2:32pm UK, Thursday July 17, 2008

European Union countries look set to agree to widen sanctions against Zimbabwe, diplomats have said.

European leaders hope new sanctions will increase the pressure on Robert Mugabe

This would include travel bans and asset freezes on a larger circle of officials and supporters of President Robert Mugabe.

An EU diplomat said: ”There is an agreement in principle on reinforcing the sanctions. Ministers will approve it soon.”

A second diplomat said the measures would include – for the first time – freezing the assets and banning the activities in Europe of companies with links to Mugabe’s leadership.

He said EU foreign ministers would rubber-stamp the moves next Tuesday.

“The aim is to avoid anything which would harm the population,” the first diplomat said.

The EU has refused to recognise Mugabe’s re-election in a June 27 run-off in which he was the only candidate. 

It has called for a new election as soon as possible after a short transition from Mugabe’s rule.

Existing EU sanctions include an arms embargo, visa bans and freezing of assets on more than 100 officials including Mugabe.

They were initially triggered by Zimbabwe’s land redistribution plan, under which white-owned farms were seized, and Mugabe’s disputed 2002 re-election.

US President George Bush said on Tuesday that the US was looking at imposing more sanctions against Zimbabwe’s government after a UN resolution was torpedoed by Russia and China last week.

Meanwhile, negotiations to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis have stalled.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has refused to sign a framework for talks, his party said.

Both Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change and Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party are under strong African and world pressure to negotiate after Mugabe’s widely condemned re-election.

The two sides began preliminary talks under South African mediation last week.