Own Correspondent 

JOHANNESBURG – Southern African Development Community (SADC) states on Monday said they would boycott the European Union-Africa summit in Portugal in December if President Robert Mugabe is barred from the meeting. 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week raised the stakes when he said he would boycott the summit if Mugabe is allowed to attend the summit, the first in seven years. 

South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki has since last March been leading a regional initiative between the ruling ZANU PF party and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party to break the eight-year impasse. 

SADC leaders, who have in the past consistently rallied behind the veteran Zimbabwean leader, say the Portugal summit could be scuttled if Mugabe is barred from the summit. 

“Attempting to isolate His Excellency President Robert Mugabe would be contrary to the letter and spirit of that initiative and, thus, the SADC position is that of non-participation if one of the region's leaders, namely President Robert Mugabe, is not invited," said Leefa Martin, the SADC spokesperson. 

Mozambique’s foreign affairs minister Alcide Abreu told the international media that Maputo was fully behind the SADC position on Mugabe’s invitation to Portugal adding that southern African would boycott the sumit if Mugabe is barred. 

“We support African strategies," Abreu said. “We support the position taken by the leadership of these bodies (SADC and the African Union).” 

Last week, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said he would boycott the Portugal summit in sympathy with Mugabe if the Zimbabwean leader is barred from the meeting. 

Meanwhile, the European Commission said European leaders must take the Portugal summit as a chance to engage with Mugabe in the search for a solution to the southern African country’s crisis. 

“If Mugabe attends, we cannot think of a better occasion to raise our concerns about fundamental human rights and democracy. We think the agenda is rich enough and we have waited too many years to devote too much attention to this singular issue,” said commission spokesperson, Amadeu Tario. - ZimOnline