SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma will tell Britain to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe when he arrives in London for a state visit next week, he said in an interview published Thursday.

Zuma suggested European Union sanctions, largely instigated by former colonial power Britain, were now being used by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party to “maintain tension” in the lead up to a new election.

The United States has also imposed its own set of sanctions on Zimbabwe, and the South African leader told the Financial Times these measures have made it more difficult to establish a viable coalition government in Zimbabwe.

“What have sanctions done to help the situation?” Zuma said. “Zanu PF says [it is] in a cabinet of this unity government. But part of the cabinet can go anywhere in the world for their work and part [the Zanu PF members] can’t go out of the country. This unity government is being suffocated. It is not being allowed to do its job by the big countries.”

A power sharing government negotiated in 1998 took office in February 2009 with Mugabe staying on as President and his opposition rivals Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara becoming Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister respectively.

Tsvangirai’s MDC has accused Mugabe of failing to fully comply with the terms of the deal brokered by the Southern African Development Community, largely over appointments to the government. Mugabe’s Zanu PF, in turn, says it will not make further compromises until the sanctions are lifted.

Tsvangirai’s MDC – which won the first round of Zimbabwe’s last elections in March 2008 but withdrew from the second round after a campaign of violence against its activists – argues the reappointments of central bank chief, Gideon Gono, and attorney-general, Johannes Tomana, violated the terms of the accord.

The party has also contested the decision to charge Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer’s and nominee for the post of deputy agriculture minister, with terrorism.

But Zuma played down the importance of these three issues and intimated that Zanu PF is deliberately stonewalling progress in order to maintain political stresses ahead of fresh polls.

“Suppose somebody in Zimbabwe is using these issues to maintain tension until elections. You are playing into the hands of such a person [by not lifting sanctions],” Zuma said.

Zuma is unfazed by the possibility he will be harangued over Zimbabwe in London, arguing that the agreement and coalition government has allowed Zimbabwe to pull back from economic chaos and the brink of disintegration.

The existence of the country itself was at risk 18 months ago, Zuma said.

“South Africa has been one of the major players that actually pulled Zimbabwe back from getting into a disaster.”

By contrast, Europe and the US had continued with sanctions as if no agreement had been made.

“If we were in the shoes of the big countries I would have said here is an agreement, we are in support of this agreement and lifting sanctions, even conditionally, even for six months to a year, give a chance for this agreement,” he said.

Zuma will be staying with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on his first state visit to Britain since coming to power in May last year.