Harare - The European Union said on Sunday ties with Zimbabwe would only normalise once a unity accord is properly implemented, but pledged a further €90m this year to assist the troubled nation.

"The European Union has never stopped helping Zimbabwe," said EU aid commissioner Karel de Gucht at the end of a two-day visit to Zimbabwe for the bloc's first talks with Harare in seven years.

"Between 2002 and 2009 roughly €600m has gone to humanitarian aid and we are switching to more structural aid, what we call transitional aid for education.

"In 2009 alone we will invest €90m in Zimbabwe."

Human rights abuses

The EU delegation, which held talks with President Robert Mugabe and his former political rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, slammed reports of human rights violations in Zimbabwe.

"We still have a lot of reports on human rights violations. That is unacceptable and not the spirit" of the power-sharing agreement, said Swedish Development Minister Gunilla Carlsson, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.

"The EU has a clear line that the key to re-engagement is the full implementation of the global political agreement," she said.

The power-sharing agreement and the subsequent formation of a government of national unity "was an important step forward for normalising the situation in Zimbabwe".

More reforms

The visit by the EU delegation came as regional leaders demanded the bloc drop its targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his close allies.

The EU however is calling for further reforms such as guarantees of political and media freedom.

South Africa leaders on Friday met the EU for talks after urging that sanctions be dropped so that the deal signed in February between Mugabe and Tsvangirai can proceed unhindered.

"This cannot be a pre-condition for the political dialogue and we made it very clear," said de Gucht

By SAPA