Zimbabwean Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has been assured of the German government‘s full support for his pro-democracy course.

Following talks in Berlin on Monday, June 15, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Zimbabwe would receive assistance to improve its education and health systems.

However, for the time being, no direct development aid will be given to the power-sharing government led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

"The democratic process in Zimbabwe must become stronger," Mrs Merkel said, and added that direct state aid would be linked to specific conditions.

"These include a constitutional process, a land reform that revises the expropriation of farms, as well as the establishment of a functioning state administration," she elaborated.

Rallying western support

Morgan Tsvangirai’s visit to Berlin is part of a three-week tour of Europe and the United States designed to rally political and financial support from Western governments.

The Zimbabwean prime minister has so far succeeded in gaining modest commitments from several countries to increase humanitarian aid channeled through non-governmental organisations.

Last Friday US President Barack Obama pledged 73 million US dollars (53 million euros), after Britain had already promised 24 million US dollars, and Norway and the Netherlands smaller amounts.

Morgan Tvangirai said the Zimbabwean unity government had made "real progress in stabilising runaway inflation and in trying to create the conditions for democracy."

Zimbabwe’s PM also expressed the hope that international donors would move from strictly humanitarian assistance to aid designed to spur economic recovery.

"We hope to get not only humanitarian support, but also transitional support so that we can consolidate that process and ensure that Zimbabweans don't go back to an atmosphere of fear," he said.

Sanctions to remain

However, with Zimbabwean hardline president Robert Mugabe still in control of the country’s security forces, Western governments have made it clear they are unwilling to grant direct aid to the government until major political and economic reforms are implemented.

Chancellor Merkel didn't say whether the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union in response to Mugabe’s human rights abuses would be lifted soon.

The sanctions include the denial of visas and an arms embargo, as well as a freeze on Western-based assets of Robert Mugabe and his associates.

The measures were tightened in the wake of a campaign of violence and intimidation waged by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF militias and Zimbabwean police against Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Fragile government

In spite of massive state repression against the MDC and other pro-democracy groups in Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s Zanu-PF lost its majority in parliament during elections in early 2008.

As a result, Mugabe was forced to agree to a power-sharing deal with Morgan Tsvangirai last September.

Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister in February, 2009. But his relationship with President Mugabe has been difficult.

Tsvangirai has repeatedly said he needs to be able to show tangible results for his efforts in order to bolster his government's standing among an impoverished population.

Under the Mugabe regime Zimbabweans‘ per capita income has fallen 10-fold in the past decade and the country is suffering an unemployment rate of more than 80 percent.

Uh/dpa/AP/Reuters

Editor: Susan Houlton