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SA wants summit of equals
09/10/2007 21:13 - (SA)
Pretoria - South Africa's ambassador to the European Union warned on Tuesday against the setting of pre-conditions for attendance at an upcoming EU-Africa summit, saying everyone should be present.
Anil Sooklal told reporters in Pretoria that any move to have Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe excluded from the summit in Lisbon in December would not hold with his fellow African leaders.
He said African nations were very keen to have the summit take place, saying "it can only be to the benefit of both sides".
"But African leaders won't attend a watered-down summit," Sooklal added in reference to calls by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for Mugabe to be kept away or else he himself would not attend.
"It must be a summit of equals. No one should lay down preconditions. "Let us meet and discuss everything of interest - even the difficult issues - with everyone present," said the ambassador.
European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said on Monday that the summit should take place with all African countries and not be derailed by a row between Zimbabwe and Britain.
Sooklal was briefing reporters ahead of a meeting between South Africa and the EU troika, comprising the EU Commission, the Council of Europe and the current president of the EU, which is Portugal.
At the news conference, Sooklal announced that the EU would use the meeting to sign a document for the release of €985m of budget support to South Africa over the next six years.
The previous envelope of EU development co-operation to South Africa totalled €1.5bn from 1994 until now.
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