President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is entitled to attend a Europe-Africa summit in December, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this weekend. Her pronouncement puts her at odds with Gordon Brown, who has threatened to boycott the talks if Mugabe goes.During talks in Pretoria with President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who has been mediating between the Zimbabwean opposition and Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party, Merkel expressed disquiet about the worsening crisis in Zimbabwe.

‘The situation is a very difficult one. It’s a disastrous one,’ she said. But she did not back calls for Mugabe to be barred from the summit between African Union and European Union leaders in Lisbon. ‘The President of the republic of Germany wanted to invite all African countries to that summit, and it’s up to countries themselves to decide how they are going to be represented at the table,’ she said.’Obviously we will make all our assessments heard. We will also raise all our criticisms. We would do so in the presence of each and everyone.’

However, her refusal to back efforts to ban Mugabe may now mean it is Brown instead who does not attend the summit. A Foreign Office spokesman said the Prime Minister’s position had not changed and that he would not attend if Mugabe was present.

Merkel’s comments brought a harsh response from Zimbabwe. The state-owned Herald newspaper reported yesterday that Mbeki had staved off pressure from the German leader. It said Merkel had been expected to take a tougher stance, but left the meeting with Mbeki ’singing from a different hymn sheet’.

The Zimbabwe government hit out at Merkel for labelling the crisis ‘disastrous’ and said Germany should not pass judgment on anyone.

‘It is ironic that Germany, with a history such as it has, has the temerity to see a speck in Zimbabwe’s eye,’ Secretary for Information and Publicity George Charamba said.

Last week the Zimbabwe government averted a strike by civil servants and junior doctors after negotiations lead to unions cancelling a walkout planned over salaries.

Also yesterday, Zimbabwe’s police revealed that more than 23,000 people have been arrested for flouting price controls imposed by the government three months ago. Guardian UK

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