President Mugabe dismissed as “Gordon’s gang of four” a quartet of European leaders who lined up to attack his misrule, as he sought to blame Britain for the repeated criticism he was forced to endure at the EU-Africa summit.

The Zimbabwean leader went on the offensive yesterday in a closed meeting of the 27 EU and 53 African nations present after he was accused by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, of “harming the image of the new Africa”.

Although much of the media focus at the two-day summit was on Mr Mugabe, a row over trade agreements threatened to overtake the agenda and left the EU struggling to persuade key African nations to sign up before a New Year deadline.

Mr Brown’s boycott over the presence of Mr Mugabe left it to Mrs Merkel and the leaders of the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden to high-light human rights concerns in Zimbabwe. Mr Mugabe, 83, appeared to be isolated after only one African leader, President Wade of Senegal, 81, spoke out in his defence. A younger generation of African leaders simply referred to the Zimbabwe problem and insisted that African efforts to mediate led by Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, would soon bear fruit.

Mr Mugabe said that the “trumped-up charges” by “Gordon’s gang of four” showed the arrogance of the Europeans. He said: “They criticise Zimbabwe and human rights in contradiction to the positions of the SADC [Southern African Development Community of 14 nations] and the African Union. Does the German Chancellor believe she has better knowledge of Zimbabwe than SADC?”

Mr Brown was not present but he had “megaphones who speak not from their own hearts but say what No 10 Downing Street will be pleased to hear,” Mr Mugabe said. “Britain are the masters of Germany.”

By the time that Baroness Amos, the British representative, spoke towards the end of the summit and detailed the low life expectancy in Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe had left the room. But he was there to hear Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy representative, rebuff the “gang of four” claim and insist that Europe was united in condemnation of Mr Mugabe’s policies.

Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch Prime Minister, said that he was proud to be in the gang of four. Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish Prime Minister, added: “It was an extraordinary honour to be included in a circle that stands up for human rights and democracy.”

British diplomats said that Mr Brown had been right to stay away because it allowed the rest of the EU to make the case against Zimbabwe. “This was not Britain against Zimbabwe, it was Europe against Zimbabwe,” one said.

The Portuguese organisers insisted that they had been right to push ahead with the summit in the face of pressure from Britain to ban Mr Mugabe, which could have led to a boycott from African countries and caused it to collapse.

A Portuguese diplomat said: “We feel vindicated. We were right in not allowing Zimbabwe to be a blockage. Had we caved in to British pressure we would not have had a new partnership which we believe will make situations like the one in Zimbabwe obsolete.” The leaders signed an agreement to meet regularly to update measures to tackle climate change, governance and migration.

But the summit ended on a sour note with a row over the EU’s proposed Economic Partnership Agreements to update trading rules with African countries. Even though the World Trade Organisation set a deadline of December 31, several nations, including Senegal, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa, are refusing to sign because they want better protection for African producers.

Mr Mbeki said: “The way that EPAs are constructed will not contribute to development in those countries they are aimed at. They will not assist in the fight against poverty.” Alpha Oumar Konare, the African Union president, said that the EU had to give up its “colonial approach”. He added: “The riches of Africa must be paid for at a fair price.”

Solicitors are to call on the Prime Minister to condemn human rights abuses and to put pressure on Zimbabwe to restore law and order.

Leaders of the Law Society also plan to present a petition to Gordon Brown condemning the suspension of the rule of law in Pakistan. The moves come as part of a series of initiatives by the legal profession to mark International Human Rights Day today.

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