British PM renews snub to Mugabe, backs Zimbabweans

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 10/21/07 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown renewed Wednesday a pledge to snub Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at an EU-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 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 European Union and African leaders in Portugal if Mugabe attended despite an EU travel ban on him and his entourage.

A senior British diplomatic official said Wednesday that Zimbabwe should attend the summit but not be represented by the 83-year-old Mugabe, in power since the southern African nation's independence in 1980.

Brown added: "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 crises 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 Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (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 a third, inflation is running well over the 6,500-percent mark -- the world's highest -- and at least 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty threshold.

The senior British diplomatic source told reporters in London that Mugabe's attendance was a matter for both the African Union (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."

"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," he added.

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.

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 was committed to land reform but Harare had "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 had not changed but the chances of discussions on the subject were currently "nil".

Britain was not seeking to unseat Mugabe but the source said his departure from office was a "necessary but not a sufficient condition" for Zimbabwe to recover from hyper-inflation, 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 ruling ZANU-PF was unlikely but a "palace coup" was "possible but not probable", he added.

[NormsRevenge]

That's OK, the UN likes him.. He fits right in.

Sept. 26, 2007

Robert Mugabe (L), President of Zimbabwe, shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (R) during the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.(AFP/Pool/David Karp)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Why don’t the Brits refer to this place as Rhodesia ?

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Africa Pinglist.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Because it isn't. It's name is Zimbabwe.

Sort of how Canada is Canada and no longer British North America.

[Gay State Conservative]

In the future psychopathic thugs like Mugabe and others should be denied entry to the US regardless.....visiting UN Headquarters...diplomatic immunity...doesn’t matter.And if,in retaliation,the UN moves its headquarters...all the better.

[padre35]

Mugabe’s regime reminds me of that great scene in Saving Private Ryan, where the flame thrower operator sprays into the Nazi bunker forcing the machine gun crew to dive out of the structure.

When facing the people he was previously trying to destroy, one private said “Don’t shoot, let them burn”

Let Zimbabwe burn, not a nickel for them...period...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Rhodesia..