Southern African Politicians Urge the West To Lift Sanctions on Zimbabwe

E.U. and the U.S. have both imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, where Mugabe recently claimed victory in an election that was criticized by his opponents

Southern African leaders have called for the West to lift all sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe after endorsing President Robert Mugabe's victory in disputed elections last month.

Zimbabweans had "suffered enough", Malawian President Joyce Banda said.

The EU and US imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002 after accusing Mr Mugabe of brutally cracking down on his opponents - a charge he rejected.

Mr Mugabe, 89, is due to be inaugurated for a seventh term on Thursday.

The European Union (EU) has a travel ban in place against President Mugabe and nine other of officials of his Zanu-PF party and has sanctions imposed on two companies.