'Distasteful' Mugabe skirts EU travel ban

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe skirted a EU travel ban to attend the UN World Food Summit in Rome today despite complaints that his policies are worsening the food crisis in the country.

Mugabe took up his place in the plenary hall at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, greeting colleagues, and was due to speak later in the day.

EU spokesman Gunnar Wiegand said the visit did not break the EU travel ban, since it doesn’t apply when officials are travelling for meetings of international organisations.

There is a separate EU ban on bilateral ministerial meetings with Mugabe and the other banned officials, he said, adding that the Italians have said they were upholding it.

Wiegand added: ‘‘It is distasteful to see the president of Zimbabwe giving the impression he is really caring about the poverty and the provision of food of his people’’ when his policies showed this was not the case.

Zimbabwe’s opposition has accused the government of withholding food aid from its supporters even as the country is experiencing a major food crisis.

The government has denied the claims, but independent aid workers and human rights groups have raised concerns over unfair distribution and interference in relief programmes by local state officials and ruling party militants.

Zimbabwe is among several southern African countries seeking food aid.