Bush orders expanded U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe

By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Friday expanded U.S. sanctions against the "illegitimate" Zimbabwe government of President Robert Mugabe and the United States moved to freeze assets of 17 state-controlled businesses. "This action is a direct result of the Mugabe regime's continued politically motivated violence," Bush said in a statement. Mugabe won a landslide victory last month in an election condemned by Western nations and boycotted by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who cited government-sponsored violence and intimidation. The Treasury Department moved to freeze assets under U.S. jurisdiction of 17 business enterprises controlled by the Zimbabwean government. The Treasury said it was banning Americans from doing business with the enterprises, which included the Agricultural... [read full story]