Brown refuses to attend same conference as Mugabe

[The Monkey]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would boycott a summit of African and EU leaders in December if Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe attends.

Mr Brown says Mr Mugabe's presence at the conference in Lisbon will "divert attention" from important issues such as poverty, climate change and health.

Zimbabwe was facing "a tragedy that requires the whole of the world to speak up and also to act", he told ITN.

But a Zimbabwean minister warned the UK should not pressure the EU in this way.

"If the European Union agrees to be dictated to by an individual member state like Britain, a former colony, and brings its colonial machinations on Zimbabwe to the EU, that would be unfortunate," Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, the minister for information, told the BBC.

He stressed that President Mugabe was a head of state, and a member of the African Union, and would attend the summit in Portugal if invited.

However, no invitation has yet been sent to Mr Mugabe, according to senior sources in the Portuguese government.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the BBC World Service that Mr Brown's view was the right one.

"An EU-Africa summit can only become a media circus if it's dominated by Robert Mugabe sitting next to Gordon Brown," he said.

"We don't think that it's right to be discussing good governance, human rights, economic development as if there isn't the tragedy unfolding in Zimbabwe that is unfolding at the moment, unfolding as a direct result of the policies being pursued by Mr Mugabe.

"That's why I think it was right for Gordon Brown, who has been absolutely clear in all of his foreign policy and domestic policy decisions, that he will be straight about those intentions, to say that if Robert Mugabe comes, then we won't attend."

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My respect for that man just rose quite a lot.

 

[kirovman]

He is quite a mam.

Also, I agree with his decision to boycott.

It's like inviting Stalin to a conference on individual liberties.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Oh god, they do go on about colonialism, don't they?

 

[kirovman]

The job title is familiar: "minister for information"

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=4zbmENT4D0k[/youtube]

 

[Absinthe]

Kudos to him.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Yeah, good for him.

 

[JNightshade]

Kudos, I suppose.

 

[Bob_Marley]

Oh god, they do go on about colonialism, don't they?

They do rather.

Anyway. Quite right that he refuses to go.

 

[kirovman]

I remember when Hitler complained that the German nation was victimised by the other powers of the time.

Well actually I don't remember that, but I'm just saying. Whinging about how other nations are supposedly treating you, despite your problems at home is not a good thing.