Zimbabwe expels EU electoral observer

Zimbabwe has expelled the head of a European Union mission sent to observe next month's presidential election. European Union Foreign Ministers will meet in Brussels tomorrow to consider what action to take. They had already threatened to impose sanctions before the expulsion of Pierre Schori.

Mr Schori was accused of doing political work after entering the country on a tourist visa, breaching its conditions. The Swede had told reporters yesterday that he fully intended to stay in Zimbabwe and do his job. This tested a Zimbabwean government warning not to make public statements.

"I don't know what they want to hide but evidently they don't like some of us to be there," he said upon his arrival back at London's Gatwick airport.

"What they did not like is that we do not abide totally, cave in, to their demands and conditions, which have never been set out in a similar way before for an international observation team," said Mr Schori. He remembered having been part of a "very successful" observer team for the 2000 legislative elections in Zimbabwe.

EU sanctions would include a European travel ban on Robert Mugabe and 20 close aides, as well as a freeze on any assets they have in Europe. Similar sanctions were applied to Slobodan Milosevic before he was ousted from the Yugoslavian presidency in October 2000.

Robert Mugabe has been in power for 22 years, but faces a strong challenge from opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the presidential elections to be held on 9-10 March.