It looks like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has failed in his campaign to prevent Robert Mugabe from being invited to December's summit of European and African leaders in Portugal. Further, Brown is meeting with resistance to his proposal that the European union send an envoy to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis. Those African leaders who continue to stand by Zimbabwe at least can hide behind the (very) thin reed of Pan-Africanism and loyalty to someone they still accord status as a former liberation hero. But what excuse do the Europeans have?
Although Brown effectively put the organizers of the summit in a him-or-me situation that some might see as blackmail, the reality remains that given a choice between having the legitimate Prime Minister of England and the ferocious dictator of Zimbabwe attend the summit, many, including the European leadership, pathetically went with Mugabe. Let us at least hope that this decision proves to be the catalyst for other leaders turning their back on the summit. A Europe-Africa meeting is vital. Mugabe's presence at such a gathering is anything but.
