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Zim crisis 'threatens' summit
14/09/2007 15:41 - (SA)
Brussels - A key European Union and Africa summit remains under a shadow cast by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, whose attendance is demanded by African leaders but can spark a boycott by Britain.
The EU's Portuguese presidency insisted that the summit, which would unite more than 70 heads of state and government, would take place as planned in Lisbon on December 8-9 but preparations were going slowly, to say the least.
Portugal's European Affairs Minister Manuel Lobo Antunes said: "The invitations haven't been sent. We're talking."
In fact, through no fault of its own, Portugal was confronted with the same obstacle that caused what would have been only the second EU-Africa summit to be postponed indefinitely in 2003.
Europe 'must understand Africa'
Britain insisted that there should be no invitation to Mugabe, who along with senior Zimbabwean officials was banned from travelling in the 27 EU countries for human rights abuses. African leaders rejected this as discrimination.
Akwasi Asei-Adjei, the foreign minister of Ghana, current chair of the AU, underlined that the summit would take place "with all members of the African Union".
He said it's time that Europe tried "to understand Africa".
The Europeans were tempted to try for a compromise "Myanmar-style", by proposing that Zimbabwe be represented at a lower level, as happened with Myanmar at EU-Asia summits, because leaders of the junta were banned.
But this had been ruled out by the Africans.
One EU source said Portugal, which held the EU's rotating presidency until the end of the year, would have to send out invitations to all including Mugabe and "hope there's a problem with transport".
'We want a successful summit'
An EU diplomat said that because if the 83-year-old hardliner didn't come "it's quite possible that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and one or two other European leaders, won't turn up".
Privately, Britain had already brandished the threat of a boycott.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband made London's position clear about the leader of its former colony last week at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
An official close to the in-camera talks said: "He told them that the PM would not be there if Mugabe goes."
Publicly Miliband said: "I don't think anyone wants to be part of a media circus in December. I think we all want a successful summit, but we are also very, very concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe."
The reality was that no one wanted Mugabe to become the focus of an EU-Africa summit meant to concentrate on building proper economic and political ties between the two blocs.
Another diplomat said: "Even Mugabe himself has no interest in this happening, because of the very serious problems his country is mired in at the moment."
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