[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 47 (Monday, November 28, 2005)]
[Page 1768]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders on Blocking Property of Additional 
Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Zimbabwe

November 22, 2005

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. President:)

    Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as 
amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), I hereby report that I have issued an 
Executive Order that amends Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, and 
expands the authority for blocking property and interests in property.
    Executive Order 13288 blocked the property of 77 persons responsible 
for hindering the democratic transition in Zimbabwe. It provided for the 
secondary designation of persons owned or controlled by, or acting or 
purporting to act, directly or indirectly, for or on behalf of any of 
the 77 persons listed in its Annex.
    Since Executive Order 13288 was issued in March 2003, conditions in 
Zimbabwe have continued to deteriorate. The government continues to 
suppress opposition groups and civil society, undermine the independent 
media, ignore decisions by its courts, and refuse to enter into 
meaningful negotiations with other political actors. Zimbabwe's 
parliamentary elections in March 2005 were not free or fair. Recent 
demolitions of low income housing and informal markets have caused 
700,000 people to lose their homes, jobs, or both. Additional measures 
are required to promote democratic change.
    The new order adds primary designation authority to Executive Order 
13288, as well as authority to designate immediate family members of, 
and those who provide support to, sanctioned persons. It also adds 
authority to determine that circumstances no longer warrant the blocking 
of property and interests in property of a person listed on the Annex. 
Specifically, the new order will allow the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate those who have 
engaged in actions or policies to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic 
processes or institutions, thus contributing to the deliberate breakdown 
in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and 
intimidation in that country, or to political and economic instability 
in the Southern African region. It will also allow for secondary 
designations of persons determined to have materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services in support of, such actions or policies or any 
persons sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13288, as amended (the 
``order''). It will further allow for the secondary designations of 
those persons who are or have been immediate family members of, or are 
owned or controlled by or acting for or on behalf of, any persons 
sanctioned pursuant to the order.
    Accompanying the new order is an Annex that replaces and supersedes 
in its entirety the Annex to Executive Order 13288. This new Annex 
contains a revised list of persons whose property and interests in 
property are blocked by the President pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of the 
order, including key government and party officials and their family 
members.
    The new order will provide needed flexibility as conditions in 
Zimbabwe evolve, allowing my Administration to more effectively utilize 
targeted sanctions to promote positive democratic change in Zimbabwe.
    I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
     Sincerely,
                                                George W. Bush

Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, and Richard B. Cheney, President of the 
Senate. This letter was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
November 23. An original was not available for verification of the 
content of this letter.