President Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace, and the Zimbabwe Defence Industries are the only two people and one firm still under the European Union sanctions according to a statement issued by Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign affairs boss, today. The arms embargo also remains in force. Ashton said the EU will continue to watch governance and human rights in Zimbabwe until 1 November. She said the sanctions on Mugabe and the ZDI do not have any direct economic or social impact on the Zimbabwean people, and should not be blamed for the wider socio-economic challenges facing the country. An EU delegation that was in Zimbabwe disagreed saying that the sanctions were scaring away investors. It did not matter whether the sanctions were direct or indirect, at the end of the day they were damaging. Zimbabwe says the sanctions have cost the country US$42 billion.
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