Maravi

(DAILY MAIL) Levy meets Mugabe

Levy meets Mugabe
From EMMERSON MUCHANGWE

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday called on President Mwanawasa at his 47th floor New York Palace hotel room where the two leaders held a closed-door meeting.

After the meeting, President Mwanawasa reiterated that no member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) would attend the key Europe-Africa summit set for December 8 2007 in Portugal if President Mugabe was excluded.

President Mwanawasa, the chairman of SADC, said the official position of the regional body was that no head of state from the region would attend the European Union (EU)/African Union (AU) summit without Mr Mugabe.

He was answering a question from Zimbabwean journalists on what the regional body’s official position was on the summit.

He said it would be difficult for any head of state in SADC to attend the summit if it excluded Mr Mugabe because there was need for unity of purpose in the region in all areas of mutual interest.

The President, who is in New York to attend the 62nd regular session of the United Nations General Assembly, would today participate in a round table discussion on human rights and democracy.

And President Mwanawasa is today expected to meet the Portuguese Prime Minister to discuss the EU-AU summit in greater detail.

Meanwhile, in Lusaka, senior European diplomats told the Zambia Daily Mail that Mr Mugabe would be invited to attend the summit under special arrangements where the EU would waive the travel ban imposed on the veteran Zimbabwean leader accused of human rights violations and economic mismanagement.

The EU Presidency, currently under Portugal is understood to have begun issuing invitations to all African heads of state who would receive the letters before the end of the month. -ZANIS/Daily Mail

Labels: MUGABE, SADC

posted by MrK @ 9:49 AM