By Martin Banks - 19th September 2007
EU commissioner Louis Michel has backed growing calls for Robert Mugabe to be banned from the upcoming EU-Africa summit.
But he refused to be drawn on whether the December summit should still go ahead if Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, attends.
“I fully understand and sympathise with those who are saying Mugabe should not attend the summit,” Michel, commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, told this website.
“I too share their concerns and, yes, I too would prefer it if Mugabe was not there.”
Michel added, “However, would his presence at the summit be sufficient reason for not holding this very important event? The main objective, let’s remember, is the summit itself and not the participants, whoever they might be."
The Belgian commissioner was speaking on Wednesday after attending a Friends of Europe conference on Africa in Brussels.
His comments come as UK premier Gordon Brown said he would not attend the summit if Mugabe was present.
Brown’s announcement on Wednesday follows growing pressure to act over Zimbabwe, particularly from the South African cleric Desmond Tutu.
Zimbabwe is currently in the grip of an economic and humanitarian catastrophe and several MEPs, spearheaded by British members Geoffrey van Orden and Glenys Kinnock, have also called for Mugabe to be banned from the summit, due to take place in Lisbon.
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