Controversy over Mugabe's presence
Dec. 8th, 2007 03:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nairiporterhttp://allafrica.com/stories/200712080001.html
The EU-Africa summit billed for Lisbon today may again be called off at the last moment if the threat by a section of the European Community continues to insist that Africa's bad boy, Robert Mugabe be locked out.
Today's meet is only the second in the series in the last seven years ever since the first edition was held in Cairo in 2000. Since then, getting the two communities to agree to come together has been more of a Herculean task in the advent of Mugabe's wrong turn.
Previous plans to make the summit hold in the past had always ended in futility as EU members had always insisted they would not sit down at table with Mugabe while most African heads of states always insisted Europe could not expect to lock out one of their own, notwithstanding anything he might have done. Mugabe himself has always insisted on being present at the meeting as his right as an African head of state.
The last time all parties made serious concessions towards having the summit hold was in 2003 in the same Lisbon. But again, it had to be called off when the EU could not reach a unanimous point over the suspension of EU's 'smart sanctions' against Zimbabwe, which include a visa ban preventing Mugabe and his closest allies traveling to the 27-nation bloc.
Today's session, the first of a two day conference, is highly important for both blocs for economic and social reasons. Europe is alarmed at the rate at which China has spread its economic tentacles in the African continent, and wants to consolidate on its relationship with Africa, show more commitment the continent's economic woes and the fight against AIDS.
Other areas of great interest that the summit would focus would be on climate change; illegal immigration and the deaths on high seas of Africans desperate to reach Europe; creating a more market friendly Africa for EU member states; and discussions on other areas of cooperation that could help stem the growing economic influence of China in the region.Notwithstanding the importance of the summit to both blocs, the Prime Minister of Britain, Gordon Brown, will be conspicuously absent from today's meeting on the grounds that the visa restriction rule should not have been suspended for Mugabe.
Meanwhile the Ghanaian foreign minister, Nana Akufo-Addo countered that for the summit to hold, there would be no restriction to attendance. "We can't have a situation where people pick and choose which Africans they will deal with if they want to deal with Africa on a continental basis," Akufo-Addo said.
