Verhagen: not in favour of Mugabe attending EU-Africa summitIn response to questions in the House of Representatives, foreign minister Maxime Verhagen stated on 13 July that the Netherlands is not in favour of President Mugabe of Zimbabwe attending the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon.
He wrote that, in principle, the Netherlands prefers to hold the summit without Mugabe. Verhagen also passed this on to the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the EU-Africa summit, taking place in Lisbon on 8 and 9 December, European and African leaders will discuss various issues, including migration, climate change, peace and security, and development cooperation. The previous EU-Africa summit in 2003 was called off at the last minute, as participating countries were divided about whether or not President Mugabe should be allowed to attend.