Zimbabwe: EU-Africa Summit - Portugal Blasts British Premier Brown 


The Herald (Harare) 

21 September 2007 
Posted to the web 21 September 2007 

Harare 

Portugal yesterday blasted British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his "double standards and hypocrisy", as Lisbon sent a clear message that any attempts to bar President Mugabe from attending the forthcoming Euro-Africa Summit would be strongly opposed. 

The Southern African Development Community also weighed in, warning that African leaders would boycott the summit in solidarity with Zimbabwe if the European Union barred Cde Mugabe from attending. Mr Paolo Casaca, a Portuguese Member of the European Parliament, dismissed as a cheap stunt Mr Brown's threat to boycott the summit if President Mugabe was invited. 


"It is absolutely double standards," said Mr Casaca, criticising the British leader for levelling accusations of human rights violations at countries such as Zimbabwe while turning a blind eye to countries where gross violations are openly occurring on a daily basis. Mr Casaca's blistering remarks came in the wake of Mr Brown's assertion in an opinion piece published by the London Independent that Cde Mugabe's presence would deflect the summit from its agenda. 

"I believe that President Mugabe's presence would undermine the summit, diverting attention from the important issues that need to be resolved. In those circumstances, my attendance would not be appropriate." 

As pressure mounted on Mr Brown, it also emerged yesterday that Sadc has thrown its full weight behind Zimbabwe. According to news agency reports, President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia, who is the current chairman of Sadc, vowed to boycott the Euro-Africa Summit if President Mugabe was not invited and said other African leaders could do so too. "I will not go to Portugal if (President) Mugabe is not allowed. I don't know how many of us (African leaders) will be prepared to go to Portugal without (President) Mugabe," he said. 


Political analysts said the British premier's grand plan to isolate and demonise Zimbabwe ahead of the Euro-Africa Summit lay in tatters. Last week, the government of Ghana, which holds the rotating chair of the African Union, said President Mugabe should be invited to the summit, set for December in Lisbon, like any other African leader. Ghanaian Foreign Minister Mr Akwasi Osei Adjei emphasised: "I believe we are coming with all the members of the African Union, the heads of state of the African Union. So, definitely the invitation will be issued (to President Mugabe)." He also urged 

London to find a diplomatic solution to its bilateral dispute with Zimbabwe, which stems from Harare's adoption of land reforms meant to correct a racially skewed land ownership pattern that was a legacy of the British colonial system. Diplomatic sources said the Euro-Africa Summit would go ahead even if Mr Brown carries out his threat to boycott the gathering. Desperate to keep his anti-Zimbabwe campaign going in the face of international condemnation, Mr Brown yesterday announced that he would lobby for further illegal sanctions against the country. 

However, no EU member has backed his call. In fact, a Portuguese diplomatic source close to the EU presidency was quoted as saying Europe's relationship with Africa "cannot remain hostage" to the Zimbabwe issue and suggested the meeting could go ahead without the British Prime Minister. "It will be very hard not to invite (President) Mugabe. Some African leaders in the African Union might not be willing to come if he is not invited," said the Portuguese source. "He is the oldest leader in the AU and is seen by many as a freedom fighter," he said, noting President Mugabe had spent 11 years in jail for opposing white minority rule. 

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