I had a phone call from my MEP Robert Sturdy in Lisbon this afternoon telling me he had walked out of the EU-African summit because of Robert Mugabe’s unwelcome presence.
Quite right too, and this is the press release we issued:
ROBERT STURDY BOYCOTTS EU-AFRICAN SUMMIT
Euro-MP Robert Sturdy has today walked out of the controversial EU-African summit in Portugal following the arrival of Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, because of his appalling record on human rights.
Mr Sturdy was hoping to participate in the talks due to his high profile work on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) aimed at improving trade links with poorer countries, including several African nations, and as an International Trade spokesman.
However, he felt it was untenable to remain, and is disappointed that he has missed out on talks which he felt would have been helpful.
“Everybody is missing out because of Mugabe’s presence, while at the same time wanting to support Africa. As the main speaker on EPAs, and the co-chair of the WTO steering panel, I obviously wanted to participate, but I was not going to be seen to be involved in any way with Mugabe. “
*I didn’t realise that according to the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has the world’s shortest life expectancy—37 years for men and 34 for women. It also has the greatest percentage of orphans (about 25%, says UNICEF) and the worst annual inflation rate (1,281% at time of publication).
Hi Ellee
Nice to talk to you
http://www.biologicalfeatures.blogspot.com ( Musings of a Medic) and the eponymous Henry North London at http://www.henrynorthlondon.blogspot.com
Regards
Hi Elle, don’t know what to say about Mugabe.
But I do think the wrong strategy has been used in Zimbabwe – instead of supporting the country when it was flourishing, there has been a concerted effort to bring its economy down – especially from white farmers and trading partners. No wonder Mugabe is paranoid and feels threatened with his back against the wall.
Still no excuse for his appalling record on human rights, and no excuse for his and his government’s mismanagement of the economy. He could have done more for his people by other means. Land re-distribution has not delivered the dream, but it rarely does unless it is done properly. But hey wealth redistribution in the uk seems to be going in the ‘wrong’ direction, with the rich (and property owners) becoming richer, and the indebted more in debt.
Funny thing about credit card companies offering free credit to those who pay off their credit within the given days, the cost subsidised by penalising those unable to clear their debts. It’s great to have an incentive to pay your bills on time, and clear your credit before the end of the month – as long as you are able to do so.
Good for Sturdy.
The life expectancy figures you quote are widely thought to be overestimates as more recent data is not available.