U.S. says Zimbabwe subject to sanctions

U.S. says Zimbabwe subject to sanctions

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By George Gedda

THE White House on Wednesday said Zimbabwe is subject to U.S. sanctions because of the government's failure to take steps to halt human trafficking.

The impact is expected to be minimal because of the number of sanctions already imposed against Zimbabwe in recent years.

Zimbabwe was on a State Department list published in June of 12 countries alleged to have done little to stop human trafficking.

It was the first time that Zimbabwe had been named as a serious offender. U.S.-backed pro-democracy and health programs will not be affected by the White House finding.

There was no announcement as to which programs will be suspended.

Countries that appear on the list are given a 90-day grace period to take steps to combat trafficking and protect victims in order to avoid possible sanctions.

Of the 12 countries named, only Belize and Laos were deemed to have made good progress during the grace period and have been removed from the ``worst offender'' list.

The remaining countries have been on the list for a year or more and their status concerning sanctions remained unchanged.

They are Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Iran, Laos, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The most common offenses against trafficking victims are sexual coercion and forced labor.

In an interview, Ambassador John Miller said the main U.S. goal is not to impose sanctions against countries indifferent to trafficking but to encourage them to take the issue seriously.

Miller, who heads the trafficking office, said Belize has rescued 62 trafficking victims in recent months and carried out a number of prosecutions of traffickers.

He credited Ecuador, Jamaica and United Arab Emirates with a serious effort to deal with the trafficking issue in recent years.

He noted that 32 countries are ranked just below the worst offender category.

Miller said the United States and Saudi Arabia plan official consultations next month on a broad range of issues, human trafficking among them. - AP

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