Zimbabwe sanctions have 'lost tempo'

FINANCE Minister Patrick Chinamasa has sanctions which the current government has blamed on the country's economic slide, have lost "tempo".

According to NewZimbabwe.com, Chinamasa said this while addressing diplomats, business and civil society leaders at a discussion forum called by a local think-tank Sapes Trust in collaboration with Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, National Endowment for Democracy and Catham House.

"The spirit or the tempo is reducing. It's still there but it's reducing," Chinamasa said in unsolicited comments.

"Clearly, we are not where we were say three, four years ago. There is greater spirit to cooperate, to collaborate and basically to take Zimbabwe back into the mainstream of the world economy.

"Even when we engage with the United States, they are always blaming the congress but overally I think I must acknowledge of course that there has been a reducing commitment to effect regime change on the country and this is why I said we will remain very wary, we will remain on our guard."

His comments come after the MDC-T and ex-Finance Minister Tendai Biti's party have taken turns to slam the British government and the IMF for warming up to President Robert Mugabe's overtures before the Zimbabwean administration could meet their earlier demands for a set of both economic and political reforms.