Mugabe to attend EU-Africa summit

Lisbon: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will attend a European Union-Africa summit in December in Lisbon, triggering a boycott of the meeting by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"We got the invitation last week and we are going," George Charamba, Mugabe's spokesman, said in Mozambique.

Brown told reporters that nothing will be gained from dialogue between Britain and Mugabe and that the Zimbabwean leader must "take full responsibility" for the collapse of his country's economy and society. "We will not be prepared to sit down at the same table as Mugabe," Brown said.

Independence hero

The December 8-9 summit in Lisbon will be the first between the two continents in seven years. Previous efforts to meet have foundered over whether Mugabe, accused by the West of widespread human rights violations but who Africa sees as an independence hero, should be invited.

Pressed by rising competition from China in Africa, the EU is determined that this year's summit should take place, in part to solidify its position as Africa's largest trading partner. A spokeswoman for the Portuguese EU presidency confirmed Mugabe will attend.

In Brussels, an EU source said Portugal would formally notify member states this week that it would waive an EU visa ban to enable Mugabe and his senior aides to travel to Portugal.

"We've also made it clear that if Zimbabwe became a democracy again, if it had free and fair elections and democracy was restored in that country, then we would be prepared to be part of a major programme of economic and social reconstruction," Brown said.