For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 23, 2005
Statement on Blocking Property of Additional Persons Undermining Democratic Processes in Zimbabwe
In March 2003, the United States applied targeted economic sanctions
against a list of 77 persons hindering democratic reform in Zimbabwe. On
November 22, 2005, the President signed an Executive Order that allows the
Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to
go beyond previous authority and block the property of additional persons
undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe, their
immediate family members, and any persons assisting them. The President
also designated and blocked the assets of 128 persons and 33 entities.
There is still time for the Government of Zimbabwe to avoid a further
expansion of the sanctions list should it begin serious efforts to restore
democratic norms and the rule of law.
This action is not aimed at the people of Zimbabwe, but rather at those
most responsible for their plight. The failed political and economic
policies of the Robert Mugabe regime have succeeded in devastating
Zimbabwe. The United States has repeatedly called upon the Government of
Zimbabwe to abandon its harassment of civil society, the press, and the
political opposition; to restore the rule of law; to negotiate in good
faith to resolve the impasse created by the flawed 2002 elections; and to
hold free and fair parliamentary elections in 2005. Such efforts have
yielded insufficient results. The parliamentary elections in March 2005
were neither free nor fair. Recent demolitions of housing and informal
markets have displaced 700,000 people at a time when Zimbabwe is already in
the grip of a humanitarian crisis.
The United States calls on all political actors in Zimbabwe to embrace
democratic reforms, to engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve the current
impasse, and to once again place the country on a path toward development
and prosperity.
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