Mugabe surprises E Guinea
2007-03-03 19:33
Malabo - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrived in the economic capital of Equatorial Guinea in an unannounced visit on Friday, said an airport source.
He was met at the airport by his Equatorial-Guinean counterpart, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, at the start of his trip to Bata, which a source close to the government said was for "purely private" reasons.
The two heads of state planned to hold talks during Mugabe's trip, which was due to end on Sunday night, a presidential source on the Equatorial-Guinean side said on condition of anonymity, without giving further details.
In a highly-publicised visit to Equatorial Guinea in November 2004, Mugabe was proclaimed a "saviour" in Harare and Malabo for having foiled a coup to overthrow Obiang.
The alleged leader of the plot, Briton Simon Mann, was sentenced to four years in a Zimbabwean jail. Malabo is seeking his extradition.
Mann is fighting the move, as he could face the death penalty in Equatorial Guinea.