Sir, The EU-Africa Summit that took place over the weekend was a massive failure in diplomacy. There is a danger now that the wrong conclusions will be drawn.

In spite of Chancellor Merkel’s words, by inviting Mugabe the EU has shown that it is willing to legitimise African oppressors. No African government will now take seriously European exhortations about the need for good governance, democracy and human rights.

It is not surprising that many in Britain regard the EU’s efforts at assuming a meaningful role on the world stage as at best empty posturing, at worst cynical pursuit of someone else’s foreign policy agenda.

Geoffrey Van Orden, MEP (con) Chelmsford, Essex

Sir, Britain’s participation in the EU-African Lisbon summit should be seen as Gordon Brown’s contribution to the Christmas pantomime season.

Dame Amos asks her audience to boo and hiss stage villain Robert Mugabe. The Baroness would do well to remember how silent stayed the British when his army slaughtered an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 men, women and children in the Zimbabwean Midlands and Matabeleland from 1982 to 1987, a slaughter known as Gukuruhundi.

In March 2002, Fergal Keane interviewed on television a former British High Commissioner to Zimbabwe. He asked Sir Martin Ewans (1983-1985) about the massacres and Mugabe’s appalling human rights track record.

Keane asked: “Did you protest personally to Mugabe about what was happening?”

Sir Martin said: “No, I didn’t” and added: “I think this business has really perhaps been rather blown up. It wasn’t pleasant and people were being killed but as I said, I don’t think anything was to be gained by protesting to Mugabe about it”.

Keane again: “What was the advice from London about how one dealt with Mugabe, particularly around something like Matabeleland?”

Ewans replied: “I think the advice was to steer clear of it in the interests of doing our best positively to help Zimbabwe build itself up as a nation.”

When Mugabe found out he could get away with Gukuruhundi he told his closest associates that he could get away with anything. He did, until his supporters started killing white farmers.

I recall the interview not to condemn Sir Martin Ewans but to remind politicians that very few African leaders — or Africans — are much impressed by Britain’s moral positioning on anything.

Sound policies and not finger-wagging sermons are needed if Britain is to play anything like a meaningful role in Zimbabwe as four million people get ready to starve by this time next year.

Trevor Grundy

Whitstable, Kent

Sir, While Robert Mugabe’s invitation has caused some controversy, there has been not a whisper of dissent over the presence of Omar Bashir of Sudan. He is highly complicit in the genocide that is currently occurring in Darfur, and his latest abuse of human rights is to remove forcefully displaced persons from the safety of refugee camps. Why is the world not taking more of a stand against his involvement in high-level international relations?

George Watson

Christ’s College, Cambridge

Explore Letters

• Feedback