GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel challenged European and African leaders yesterday to confront human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, putting the country's president Robert Mugabe in the spotlight at an EU-Africa summit.
Addressing the meeting in Lisbon attended by Mugabe, Merkel said the world could not stand by while human rights were "trampled underfoot".
"Zimbabwe concerns us all, in Europe and Africa," she told more than 70 European and African leaders, who
were meeting to try to forge a new partnership between the world's largest trading bloc and its poorest continent.
A row over the presence of Mugabe, who is accused by the West of abusing human rights in his country and wrecking the economy, had clouded the start of the summit and led to a boycott of the meeting by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"I appreciate that some African states have tried to solve the crisis in Zimbabwe but time is running out," Merkel said. "The situation of Zimbabwe is damaging the image of the new Africa."
Merkel called on European and African leaders to promote democracy in Zimbabwe. Speaking before Merkel on the issue of human rights, South African President Thabo Mbeki did not mention Zimbabwe, where he has tried to mediate between Mugabe and his political foes.
Mbeki said the summit should work to ensure that Africa's "masses escape from the clutches of poverty".
A group of about 100 demonstrators gathered outside the meeting, holding a banner reading "End murder, rape and torture in Zimbabwe". A pro-Mugabe group across the street waved a banner that said "Mugabe is right. Land to the people".
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the African leaders the EU would not shrink from raising issues of human rights and good governance at the talks.
"Frankly, we hope that those who have fought for the independence and freedom of their countries now can also accept freedom for their own citizens," he said.
The full article contains 330 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
