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Portugal: EU-Africa Summit

Volume 463: debated on Thursday 19 July 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy not to attend the EU-Africa Summit in Portugal in December if Robert Mugabe is present at the summit. (149746)

No decision on this has been taken since invitations have not yet been issued for the summit. It is not clear whether the Portuguese intend to invite Foreign Ministers as well as Heads of State and Government. We have made clear to EU and African partners that we believe that the presence of Robert Mugabe would undermine the summit’s important agenda.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s policy is on whether the EU Common Position banning travel in the EU by members of the Government of Zimbabwe permits the attendance of Robert Mugabe or other members of the Government of Zimbabwe at the EU-Africa Summit in Portugal in December. (149747)

Article 4(5) of the EU Common Position of Zimbabwe 2004/161/Common Foreign and Security Policy lists the circumstances under which an individual listed in the annex as subject to a visa ban may be granted an exemption from the ban. This includes attendance at intergovernmental meetings, included those promoted by the EU, where a political dialogue is conducted that directly promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. If a member state proposes to grant an exemption, this will be decided according to the procedure in article 4(6). At present, no proposal has been made in connection with the EU-Africa summit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the (a) African Union and (b) the Southern African Development Community on the attendance of Robert Mugabe and other representatives of the Government of Zimbabwe at the EU-Africa Summit in Portugal in December 2007. (149103)

We continue to make clear in our contacts with African leaders, including the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, that Robert Mugabe’s attendance at the EU-Africa summit is undesirable and would undermine the summit’s important work on issues of mutual concern such as peacekeeping and security, climate change, good governance and poverty reduction in Africa.