France eager to see removal of EU sanctions on Zimbabwe: state media

HARARE, March 27 (Xinhua) -- France has said it wants sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union (EU) to be lifted and the new government assisted by multilateral financial institutions so that it rebuilds its economy.

The country's Minister of State in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, who paid a courtesy call on President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on Monday, said his country wanted to assist Zimbabwe carry out reforms which would enable it to ease out of the sanctions.

State news agency New Ziana reported Tuesday that Lemoyne said France would continue to push for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank to help Zimbabwe in rebuilding the economy.

"We are very aware of the reforms that the new government wants for Zimbabwe and we are advocating within the European Union the lifting of some sanctions. We now want to be alongside Zimbabwe in order to (assist) implement some reforms so that development could be faster," he told reporters after the meeting.

He said France had sent two technical commissions to Harare to discuss cooperation and would before the end of the year dispatch the general secretary of its development agency to visit Zimbabwe again.

The EU imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe nearly two decades ago following a fallout between the African country and former colonial master Britain over land reforms that displaced white farmers in favor of formerly landless blacks.

Mnangagwa is leading a delegation of top government officials and business leaders to the 2018 Africa CEO Forum in Cote d'Ivoire where they hope to forge new partnerships for investment back home. Enditem