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Brown snubs summit over Zim
27/11/2007 20:09 - (SA)
London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday he will not attend an EU-Africa summit next month, after Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe declared he would be at the talks.
But Britain will have a representative at the December 8-9 summit in Lisbon, Brown's office said.
"I will not be attending this summit," Brown told a monthly press conference. "It is not possible... for us to attend this summit and to sit down wth President Mugabe."
Brown's comments came shortly after Mugabe said during a visit to Mozambique that he will attend the summit in Portugal, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency.
Portugal has been scrambling to ensure that Zimbabwe's presence will not eclipse the chance for stronger links between the EU and the world's poorest continent.
The African Union had been fighting the British demands for Mugabe to be excluded. Several African nations said they would stay away if the Zimbabwe leader was not allowed to be at the summit.
Until now Brown has said he would not sit down at the same table as Mugabe, but has left it unclear if that meant specifically that he would not attend the Lisbon talks, if the Zimbabwean leader was present.
Portugal's final hope for saving the summit was that Mugabe would decide against attending even though he was invited.
Portuguse Foreign Minister Luis Amado said last week that his country would prefer that Mugabe stayed away. Lisbon now fears that other European countries could also downgrade their representation at the event.
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since its 1980 independence from Britain and is accused by the West of stifling democracy and leading his southern African nation to economic ruin.
Not prepared to sit at same table
Brown said Britain could help Zimbabwe in the future, but not with Mugabe at its head.
"If Zimbabwe were able to restore democracy, to have free and fair elections, we would be willing to support the reconstruction efforts of the Zimbabwean people," he said.
"Because we both feel sad and believe something can be done about a situation where so many people unfairly have been forced into poverty and where the world is waiting to act to relieve that suffering.
But he said: "It is impossible to do so under conditions of oppression and repression that exist at the moment."
And he added: "I don't believe that from the record that we have seen over these last few months that there is anything to be gained from a dialogue between Britain and Zimbabwe."
"We will not be prepared to sit down at the same table as Mugabe," he added.
Downing Street said Britain would not leave its summit chair empty. Although Brown has ruled out himself or senior ministers from attending, the place could be filled by Britain's ambassador, said a spokesperson.
A decision on the matter had not yet been decided, said Downing Street.
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