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Africa Subsaharan
Mugabe rallies Africa against Europe as talks end in disarray
2007-12-11

AFRICA and Europe's first summit in seven years ended in disarray yesterday, with no agreement on the key issue of trade and a defiant Robert Mugabe telling Africa to "fight the arrogance" of European countries opposed to his regime in Zimbabwe.
Europe doesn't have the continental testicles to actually demonstrate its "arrogance" by closing its wallet.
The two-day summit in Lisbon did agree an action plan and a promise to meet again in 2010, but the world's largest trading bloc and its poorest continent remained bitterly divided over how to replace current economic agreements. The EU is Africa's largest commercial partner, with trade totalling more than 155 billion (£112 billion) in 2006, but European officials and businessmen fear growing Chinese investment in Africa could displace it from the top spot.

The EU wants to replace the expiring trade accords with so-called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which anti-poverty groups have criticised for failing to provide protection for Africa's poor farmers and its fragile industry. "It's clear that Africa rejects the EPAs," the Senegalese president, Abdoulaye Wade, said angrily. "We are not talking any more about EPAs, we've rejected them ... we're going to meet to see what we can put in place of the EPAs."
Posted by:Fred

#7  CHIN MIL FORUM > AFRICA IS STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL/RESIST CHINESE INFLUENCE.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-12-11 23:05  

#6  This shows how loony the EUros are for even talking with the likes of Bob. Africa wants to sulk? Fine, let them solve their own problems.
Posted by: Spot   2007-12-11 08:16  

#5  Don't feel bad Mike. Human rights and Africa just don't mix. If is wasn't rich in minerals and wildlife no one would ever go there or give a crap it existed.

Take the question one step further. Has there ever been a significant lasting civilization on that continent? Egypt doesn't count, it's gone.

Mugabe is just one more dull example of what is wrong with the pervasive culture systemically stagnant there. One only needs to look into the transplanted African culture to understand our own examples like Katrina, Watts etc. Which is a shame and not PC. But none the less true.
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-12-11 03:31  

#4  There's a reason events in Africa tend to get so little world attention.
Posted by: gorb   2007-12-11 02:38  

#3  Okay Rantburgers, I need a little help on my African history.

I'm trying to think of the last time an African country did something good for human rights and the most recent I can come up with is when Tanzania drove Idi Amin out of Uganda. Granted they only did it because Uganda invaded, but I'm willing to give them the benifit of the doubt.
Posted by: Mike N.   2007-12-11 01:34  

#2  "On human rights and good governance, Africa sets its own agenda, of its own free will,"

Granted, but that doesn't mean the EUnicks have to pay for it.
Posted by: Victor Emmanuel Angemble7970   2007-12-11 00:37  

#1  "Does the German chancellor and the other pro-Gordon Brown people really believe they know better than SADC [Southern Africa Development Community] and the African Union?

I believe most would surely answer in the affirmative.
Posted by: Besoeker   2007-12-11 00:10  

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