Robert Mugabe pulls out of EU-Africa summit over wife's visa
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe leave the conference venue during the opening day of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party annual conference in Chinhoyi on December 13, 2013. FILE PHOTO | JEKESAI NJIKIZANA |
What you need to know:
- On Sunday Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs secretary Joey Bimha confirmed the president would not attend the summit
- The EU had waived the visa ban on the veteran ruler so that he could attend the summit slated for April 2 and 3 but maintained the ban on his wife
HARARE
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has pulled out of this week’s European Union-Africa summit after his wife Grace was denied a visa to visit Brussels.
The 90-year old leader has been lobbying fellow African leaders to boycott the summit to no avail.
On Sunday Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs secretary Joey Bimha confirmed the president would not attend the summit.
“President Mugabe will not be travelling to the summit and there will be no Zimbabwean delegation at the summit. This means our seat will be empty,” Mr Bimha told the state-controlled paper.
“The European Union did not implement what was agreed on at the AU summit in Addis Ababa.
“The continent has agreed that it is not the duty of the EU bloc to choose the delegation of the member states.”
The EU has maintained a travel ban against President Mugabe for alleged human rights violations and electoral fraud since 2002.
However, the EU had waived the visa ban on the veteran ruler so that he could attend the summit slated for April 2 and 3 but maintained the ban on his wife.
President Mugabe is the vice chairperson of the African Union.
