The controversial issue as to whether the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, should attend the Summit is still under discussion. The Portuguese presidency of the EU will be hosting the Summit, have still not sent out any official invitations, but are of the opinion that the process should not be blocked by one country. In the context of the EU-Africa Ministerial Troika at the end of October a Portuguese official told Reuters that “Invitations will be sent to all leaders of the African Union“. The invitations will be issued to all African states and distributed by Alpha Omar Konare (the chairperson of the African Union Commission). The countries will then be free to decide themselves on the composition of their delegation. As this article from Pretoria News explains, “the EU view now is that Mugabe should attend the summit to hear for himself the criticism of his gross misgovernance.”
The African leaders agree that Zimbabwe should be invited. The African Union chairman, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, recently expressed that “All the presidents of Africa were invited to this summit because we see it as a meeting of two continents, Europe and Africa.” Mugabe’s attendance has been backed by the presidents of both Zambia and Mozambique, who assert that they will not attend if Mugabe is not permitted. The Pan-African Parliament supports his attendance, as does President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who said that condemning and insulting President Robert Mugabe is counterproductive and world leaders would do better to swing behind regional efforts to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe. South Africa also supports this view, as expressed here by the ANC. Nigerian President, Umaru Yar’Adua is the only African leader that has criticised Mugabe in the lead up to the summit when he at a meeting in Germany expressed that: “I want to emphasise that what is happening in Zimbabwe is not in conformity with the rule of law. I do not subscribe to this.”
In Europe the opinions are more diverse, with the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, threatening to boycott the Summit if Mugabe is invited. The Czech Republic is considering to do likewise. The Nordic countries have also taken a stance against Mugabe’s attendance, as well as the Netherlands, even though they have not said that they will support a UK boycott of the summit. This view is not shared by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel or the president of the EC, Jose Manuel Barrosso: “The situation in Zimbabwe is extremely concerning,” he said, “but it cannot be an obstacle to dialogue with an entire continent.”
More news on the Summit
A section on the europafrica website provides links to recent news and views on the upcoming EU-Africa Summit. The Portuguese Presidency of the EU has also set up a webpage listing their related press releases.
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