British Prime Minister Gordon Brown renewed on Wednesday a pledge to snub Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at a European Union-Africa summit in December, but vowed to help his suffering people.
Brown reiterated London’s support for the ”reconstruction” of the economically ravaged former British colony and the restoration of democracy, and promised to help African leaders deal with the crisis in Zimbabwe.
”We should not sit down at the same table as President Mugabe,” Brown said in a question-and-answer session at his governing Labour Party’s annual conference in Bournemouth, southern England.
The prime minister said earlier this week that he would boycott a summit of EU and African leaders in Portugal if Mugabe attended despite an EU travel ban on him and his entourage.
A senior British diplomatic official said on Wednesday that Zimbabwe should attend the summit but not be represented by Mugabe (83), in power since the Southern African nation’s independence in 1980.
‘Ready to play our part’
Brown said: ”We will play our part also in helping all those people who want to work together to make sure there is social and economic justice, and then political justice, also for the Zimbabwe people. We are ready to play our part in the reconstruction and in the building of a democracy … There must be democracy restored to Zimbabwe.”
He specifically pledged support for the African Union and South African President Thabo Mbeki, ”who is trying very hard on this” in dealing with the crisis in Zimbabwe.
”I accept that we, Britain, continue to have responsibities that we should continue to discharge to Africa and particularly to Zimbabwe and we will do that,” he said.
Brown has said Mugabe’s presence would divert attention from crucial issues at the summit, accusing the Zanu-PF leader of stifling basic freedoms and political opposition as well as blaming him for Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown.
Zimbabwe’s economy has shrunk by one-third, inflation is running well over the 6 500% mark — the world’s highest — and at least 80% of the population lives below the poverty threshold.
The senior British diplomatic source told reporters in London that Mugabe’s attendance is a matter for both the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). ”We would like Zimbabwe there,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. ”It’s President Mugabe that’s the difficulty.”
He added: ”The compromise will not come from Zimbabwe. It will have to come from the AU and/or SADC … Mugabe is not going to make the first compromise move.”
Mugabe says he has been invited and will attend, but so far neither the AU nor SADC has taken a position, although Zambia’s President Levy Mwanawasa has unilaterally said he would not travel to Portugal if Mugabe was banned.
Threat dismissed
Zimbabwe has dismissed Brown’s threat and on Tuesday accused Britain of internationalising its ”bilateral problems” and reneging on an agreement to pay its former colony for its land-redistribution programme aimed at reversing colonial-era imbalances.
Mugabe has also repeatedly accused London of backing moves for his ouster.
The source said Britain is committed to land reform but Harare ”lost interest” in the process in the early 1990s, only reviving the issue when Mugabe needed a scapegoat for the country’s economic downturn, he added.
He told reporters Britain’s policy has not changed but the chances of discussions on the subject are currently ”nil”.
Britain is not seeking to unseat Mugabe, but the source said his departure from office is a ”necessary but not a sufficient condition” for Zimbabwe to recover from hyperinflation, severe food shortages, mass unemployment and disease.
Defeating Mugabe politically either by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) at next March’s elections or from within the ruling Zanu-PF is unlikely, but a ”palace coup” is ”possible but not probable”, he added. — Sapa-AFP