BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union, angered by Zimbabwe's refusal to let its observers freely monitor next month's presidential elections, imposed sanctions against the government of President Robert Mugabe today and ordered its observers to come home.
At a meeting, the EU foreign ministers issued a statement saying Mugabe's government had "prevented the deployment of an EU election observation mission."
"The EU remains seriously concerned at political violence, serious violations of human rights and restrictions on the media . . . which call into question the prospects for a free and fair election," the foreign ministers' statement said.
As a result, "targeted sanctions" were to be imposed, officials said.
EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said "all 15 EU governments agreed it was preferable to withdraw all the observers" and also impose economic sanctions.
Officials said the EU would cut off $110 million in development aid for the 2002-07 period.
In Zimbabwe, presidential spokesman George Charamba did not immediately return a call from the Associated Press seeking comment.
But Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, discounted the EU moves.
"I don't think the European factor is any more relevant," he said in an interview with the Associated Press Television News.
"They (have been) talking about sanctions and not imposing any . . . it's too late now."
With the election less than three weeks away, "I don't think they will be able to influence anything," he said.
Mugabe, 77, is fighting for his political survival and has imposed various restrictions on journalists and opposition parties to ensure victory.
The sanctions came two days after Zimbabwe forced Pierre Schori, the head of the EU team, to leave the country. His expulsion set up a showdown with the 15-nation bloc that threatens to isolate further the southern African country.
Although Schori, who attended the EU foreign ministers meeting, recommended against imposing sanctions and withdrawing observers, officials said the EU governments felt they could no longer accept Mugabe's behavior.
The EU has been warning Mugabe's government for weeks it needed to improve political freedoms and rein in violence by supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party.
In their statement, the foreign ministers made clear the EU sanctions were "designed not to harm ordinary citizens of Zimbabwe or her neighbors, nor should they prevent dialogue between the EU and Zimbabwe."
The statement added that humanitarian aid would continue for Zimbabwe.
Schori was expelled after Mugabe's government refused to recognize his credentials as head of the EU mission to observe the March 9-10 presidential elections.
Zimbabwe has said it won't accept observers from EU members Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Britain or the Netherlands. It accuses these nations of favoring his opposition.
There are currently 30 European observers in the country of a team that was supposed to number 150 eventually. Not all the observers are from EU countries; six are from Norway.