Revoke Mugabe's invite - Zille
10/07/2007 15:31  - (SA)  

IMF: Zim is Africa's sore thumb Mugabe to attend Europe summit AU discusses Zim, Darfur Mugabe won't stop summit

Cape Town - Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille has asked Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates to withdraw Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's invitation to the Europe/Africa summit in Lisbon in December.

In a letter to Socrates on Tuesday, Zille said Mugabe's presence at this influential meeting would only serve to legitimise his increasingly autocratic rule.

Furthermore, Mugabe's attendance would undermine the combined efforts of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) to promote human rights and democracy on the African continent.

"Painful past experience has shown that President Mugabe is unwilling to enter into any kind of meaningful dialogue on the critical challenges that Zimbabwe currently faces.

'Mugabe's undemocratic rule'

"He has also shown on numerous occasions that he cannot be trusted to uphold the promises or commitments he undertakes," Zille wrote.

The situation in Zimbabwe continued to deteriorate on a daily basis, and the consequences of this economic and political meltdown were directly felt, not only in South Africa, but also by all of Zimbabwe's immediate neighbours.

Zille said rescinding Mugabe's invitation to the summit would send a message that Portugal and the EU unequivocally condemned Mugabe's fundamentally undemocratic rule.

"It is precisely this kind of strong message that will serve to help resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, rather than an attempt to promote President Mugabe's international standing," she said.

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