HARARE,Zimbabwe (PANA)�U.S. President George Bush has signed into law a bill passed by Congress in early December, imposing a range of sanctions against Zimbabwe for its alleged violations of human rights and suppression of opposition parties, a local paper reported Dec. 23.

The Standard newspaper said the U.S. leader signed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Bill on Dec. 21, to formally impose sanctions on the southern African country for its refusal to back down on a controversial agrarian reform program that Washington and its Western allies oppose.

The law bars international multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and others, where the U.S. has veto power, from providing financial assistance to Zimbabwe, and also bans President Robert Mugabe and members of his cabinet from traveling to the United States.

Washington accuses the Zimbabwe government of illegally taking over land from white farmers to resettle landless peasants under its land reform program, and of suppressing the campaign activities of opposition parties ahead of a presidential election due in March 2002.

Zimbabwe denies the charges, which it says were part of a conspiracy by the big powers to derail its agrarian reforms.

"I hope the provisions of this important legislation will support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful democratic change, achieve economic growth and restore the rule of law," Mr. Bush is quoted as saying after signing the bill into law.

But the sanctions will have minimal effect on Zimbabwe, as most bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and the IMF, have already withdrawn aid to the country.

African diplomats based in Washington unsuccessfully tried to prevent the enactment of the law which, among other things, offers financial inducements for Zimbabwe if it ensured the rule of law, while at the same time authorizing funding for local opposition parties.

But Mr. Mugabe has vowed to press on with his government�s land reforms even if the Western powers opposed to them sought the "help of Lucifer" in their attempts to block them.

Mr. Mugabe�s government argues the reforms were necessary to economically empower Blacks, and to ensure the long-term social and political stability of the country. Under the program, the government is compulsorily taking over idle farms from white farmers, who own the bulk of the country�s arable land, to resettle landless peasants.