Mugabe measures 'have no impact'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7476626.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Stripping Robert Mugabe of his honorary knighthood and cutting cricketing ties will have no great impact on Zimbabwe's president, a cabinet minister has said.

The measures "were the right thing to do", Yvette Cooper - who is the chief secretary to the Treasury - told BBC One's Question Time programme.

"But we shouldn't pretend that they in themselves will have an impact."

Gordon Brown has branded the rule of Mr Mugabe - who fights an election run-off unopposed on Friday - as "criminal".

The prime minister said on Monday it had become impossible to hold a fair poll in the southern African nation.

And, describing how he would push for further sanctions, he said "state-sponsored terror" had put the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in an "untenable position".

'Sanctions help'

The MDC's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, pulled out of the race on Sunday, blaming pre-election violence for his decision.

However, Mr Mugabe's party, the ruling Zanu-PF, said Mr Tsvangirai had withdrawn to avoid "humiliation".

Ms Cooper said Zimbabwe's poll was undermined by "horrendous violence"The MDC says 86 of its supporters have been killed and 200,000 others forced from their homes by militias loyal to Zanu-PF.

Ms Cooper agreed that "sanctions do help", especially those measures with a financial impact.

"There are a lot of bank accounts that have been frozen now in Europe as a result of the pressure we've been putting on," she said.

"The African nations have been coming out and putting more and more pressure on Mugabe. We've got to keep that up."

And she told Question Time: "The greatest pressure can be placed on Mugabe by neighbouring African states. That's clearly where the greatest impact can be held."