Mugabe hits back at 'arrogant' Europe

Mugabe hits back at 'arrogant' Europe

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A DEFIANT Robert Mugabe told European leaders on Sunday he will not be lectured on how to rule Zimbabwe, hitting back at the German chancellor and other EU leaders who accused him of ignoring human rights.

German chancellor Angela Merkel accused Mugabe on Saturday of "harming the image of the new Africa" with his rights record.
Mugabe hit back overnight, charging British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who boycotted the summit over his presence, was behind criticism of Zimbabwe.

"Yesterday, we heard four countries - Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands - criticise Zimbabwe for lack of human rights for non-observance of the rule of law...," the Zimbabwean president said at a closed door session.

"Does the German chancellor and the pro-Gordon gang of four of yesterday really believe that they have a better knowledge of Zimbabwe" than African bodies? "It is this arrogance that we are fighting against."

Mugabe raised his fist in defiance, smiling widely, when asked by Reuters what message he wanted to send Europe on the second and final day of an EU-Africa summit.

"On human rights and good governance, Africa sets its own agenda, of its own free will," Zimbabwe's controversial president said, as quoted by two EU diplomats who listened to his speech to the first Europe-Africa summit in seven years.

The West and rights groups accuse Mugabe of wide-spread human rights violations and wrecking his country's economy but he is viewed as an independence hero by many in Africa.

The Southern Africa Development Community has tried to mediate between Zimbabwe's government and the opposition.

Britain's Gordon Brown boycotted the meeting to protest Mugabe's participation. Merkel challenged the summit to confront human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, saying: "the situation of Zimbabwe is damaging the image of the new Africa."

Previous efforts to hold a summit between the world's largest trading bloc and its poorest continent had failed because Britain and some other EU states refused to attend if Mugabe was invited, while African leaders said they would not come if he was barred.

Mugabe said the EU's "arrogance", not Zimbabwe, was to blame in delaying the summit.

"Those who talk of equality have sought to impose their own will on Africa and made trumped up charges on Zimbabwe," Mugabe said.

"We know our responsibilities, we don't need to be told about peace and security," he added.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana reiterated these concerns on Sunday after Mugabe spoke.

"The EU is concerned about the degradation of the economic, humanitarian and political situation in Zimbabwe," Solana told the European and African leaders. "The degradation to our mind is a result of a crisis of governance," he said.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told a news conference at the end of the summit, referring to Mugabe, that he did not understand why those who fought for the freedom of their country denied freedom to their own people.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has accused the government of Mugabe, 83 and in power since independence from Britain in 1980, of rigging past elections and called for democratic reforms before the 2008 poll.

The MDC has alleged that authorities have stepped up a campaign of repression as a means of stifling the opposition in the run-up to the election. - Reuters/Staff Reporter

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