Zimbabwean President too noisy to take part in EU-Africa summit in Lisbon

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been invited to an upcoming summit between the European Union and Africa, but Portugal does not want him to attend the summit.

Photo: Zimbabwean President too noisy to take part in EU-Africa summit in Lisbon

"If you ask me whether I'd like (Mugabe) to be in Lisbon I'd say it would be better if he didn't come because he'll create so much noise around the summit that it'll distract from what we'll be discussing," Amado said in comments to Portuguese radio TSF.

Portugal, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, has invited all Africa's leaders to the Dec. 8-9 summit but has not yet received confirmation from any of them, Amado said.

Britain is among several EU countries that object to Mugabe's presence in the Portuguese capital, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would skip the meeting if Mugabe was present.

Mugabe's critics accuse him of economic mismanagement, failure to curb corruption and contempt for democracy. His regime is subject to EU sanctions.

The summit aims to strengthen economic and trade ties between the 27-nation EU and the 53-member Africa Union. The talks are also due to address human rights and good governance.