Namibia mulls boycott of EU-Africa summit

PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba and the rest of the SADC leadership have vowed to stay away from the European Union-Africa Summit if Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe is not invited.

The December meeting in Lisbon would be the first in seven years after the summit in 2003 was put on hold because Britain and other EU states refused to attend if Mugabe did. They accuse him of rights abuses and rigging elections.The head of communications at SADC in Gaborone, Leefa Martin, informed The Namibian this week that the Summit was not an EU-Africa summit on Zimbabwe or to debate what was happening in that country.She said SADC had already been assisting in initiating the dialogue, which is currently underway amongst Zimbabweans to address the challenges facing their nation.”As such, attempting to isolate His Excellency President Robert Mugabe would be contrary to the letter and spirit of that initiative and thus the SADC position is that of non-participation if one of the region’s leaders, namely President Mugabe, is not invited,” Martin said.The SADC position was reiterated by its chairperson, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, in Lusaka recently in direct response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s assertion that he would not attend the Lisbon summit if Mugabe was present.”Now, you must bear in mind that Zimbabwe, like any other SADC member state, is a sovereign nation, which is responsible for its internal peace.The world, including SADC, can only advise and assist but the final solution lies with the Zimbabweans themselves,” Martin said.She said they have seen that work for the better in other parts of the world, such as in Mozambique where the people of that country discussed their issues, ending a bloody war that had left many people dead.Brown said last week it would be inappropriate for him to attend the summit if Mugabe was present because the Zimbabwean leader would divert attention from important aspects of the agenda.Mugabe is barred from travelling to parts of western Europe as a result of targeted sanctions.Zimbabwe is struggling with inflation of 6 600 per cent – the world’s highest – unemployment of 80 per cent and chronic food shortages.There are growing fears of a famine later this year.Britain and other Western nations accuse Mugabe, in power since independence in 1980, of wrecking the economy through mismanagement.Mugabe blames the problems on sabotage by Britain and others upset over his seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks.The policy has coincided with a sharp drop in Zimbabwe’s agricultural output.They accuse him of rights abuses and rigging elections.The head of communications at SADC in Gaborone, Leefa Martin, informed The Namibian this week that the Summit was not an EU-Africa summit on Zimbabwe or to debate what was happening in that country.She said SADC had already been assisting in initiating the dialogue, which is currently underway amongst Zimbabweans to address the challenges facing their nation.”As such, attempting to isolate His Excellency President Robert Mugabe would be contrary to the letter and spirit of that initiative and thus the SADC position is that of non-participation if one of the region’s leaders, namely President Mugabe, is not invited,” Martin said. The SADC position was reiterated by its chairperson, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, in Lusaka recently in direct response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s assertion that he would not attend the Lisbon summit if Mugabe was present.”Now, you must bear in mind that Zimbabwe, like any other SADC member state, is a sovereign nation, which is responsible for its internal peace.The world, including SADC, can only advise and assist but the final solution lies with the Zimbabweans themselves,” Martin said.She said they have seen that work for the better in other parts of the world, such as in Mozambique where the people of that country discussed their issues, ending a bloody war that had left many people dead.Brown said last week it would be inappropriate for him to attend the summit if Mugabe was present because the Zimbabwean leader would divert attention from important aspects of the agenda.Mugabe is barred from travelling to parts of western Europe as a result of targeted sanctions.Zimbabwe is struggling with inflation of 6 600 per cent – the world’s highest – unemployment of 80 per cent and chronic food shortages.There are growing fears of a famine later this year.Britain and other Western nations accuse Mugabe, in power since independence in 1980, of wrecking the economy through mismanagement.Mugabe blames the problems on sabotage by Britain and others upset over his seizure of thousands of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks.The policy has coincided with a sharp drop in Zimbabwe’s agricultural output.