They do have land reforms in Zimbabwe.The land goes to the corrupt government officials.They do give the land to the black farmers,but the problem is.One day during the night they pass the message to the farmer.Pack your bags and go.What do you think the farmes does? He knows what would happen.

Bruno Clapci, Vancouver, Canada

Look at you guys...What a Shame has African or Africans ever stood up for itself..No..No..No.Since our early history we have always been pushed around by Europeans and the West to do what they want..Have u ever asked urselves why Zimbabwe is like that..Is the sanctions,Isolation that has made this..

Mike, Mobile, Alabama

Rod Baker, Cape Town, South Africa
White South Africans are well known to be one of the most racist crop in hstory!
Why are you guys pretending you love Zimbabweans Blacks more than they love themselves. Stop fooling yourselves, we know your fears, the inevitable land reforms in South Africa!!

Ire Lanu, London, UK

African leaders, with a couple of honourable exceptions - of which Mbeki is not one - see Western attacks on Mugabe as racist, and therefore respond in their own racist way. White is wrong.

Until they mature and stop seeing issues in racial terms, Africa is doomed to suffer killers like Mugabe.

Rod Baker, Cape Town, South Africa

Ire Lanu.

Your reply is a little unfair.

It is not your property or mine. I refer historically to the hard work of my Grandparents in Rhodesia during the 1960s. The land has now gone back to waste after all that hard work. These are facts not opinions.

Boris, Belgravia, London

Boris, Belgravia, London
It is none of your business if my people are unable to utilise their lands. Only rogues worry like you about other people's properties!

Ire Lanu, London, UK

My Russian Grandparents once farmed in Rhodesia. They cut a farm out of the wilderness by sheer hard work and made a place for themselves. Life was tough then for everyone but the staff shared equally in the same conditions. I last heard it has now all gone back to scrub and bush through neglect.

Boris, Belgravia, London

. Time to stop pussy footing with this arrogant???. Why not arrest Mugabe in Rome and send troops to Zimbabwe before it goes up in flames. He and his cronies must be held accountable and suffer the consequences of their plunder. This would avoid an uprising of the starving Zimbabwean people, which is very real, and would be a disaster
.

Terry, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Neal, Tunbridge Wells, uk

Tell me why are you asking Ms. Cynthia to speak out against President Mugabe when she has nothing against him. If I ask you to say the West is bad and interfering will you say so?

Lim, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

to Cynthia , Harare, Zimbabwe, re the West is backing the wrong horse... Mugabe is not a horse, but he is part of one...

Rod Baker, Cape Town, South Africa

Cynthia, Harare Zimbabwe.

You are right. We do not know how it is in Zim. This is because Muggerby will not let any Western reporters into tell us uneducated westerners what is going on.

By the way are you aware that Tsvangirai was arrested today by the Zim police? Bet we knew before you did!

Neal, Tunbridge Wells, uk

Cynthia, Harare

I also bet you're not one of the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwe Citizens living on nothing, are you?
If you think Mugabe is a good man try an experiment - Speak out against him publicly, outside your house. Go on, I Dare You!

Neal, Tunbridge Wells, uk

I don't care if Africa lives or dies, it is not MY problem despite what Mugabe, Geldof and Bono may say!

If Africa wants MY money, they can whistle. The whole continent is nothing more than a big begging bowl!

A Thorn, London,

I stronly feel the British should get rid of Mugabe and release the poor people of Zimbabwe from their sufferings. No need to be colonialists again--just hang about a bit to make sure things go well. Don't we all understand now that some things are worse than colonialism?

Judith Shimkus, St Louis, MO, USA

This EU of 27 countries is nothing but a joke but sadly a bad joke that affects our lives. Last summer because Mugabe was is Lisbon hence Gordon Brown was absent from a major conference. Now Mugabe is in Rome.

So what happened to the EU travel ban on him?

george, london, uk

Why aren't we doing something about this? This IS our problem. If a despicable form of man like Mugabe is allowed to continue to destroy the nation he supposedly rules over, then how can we call ourselves decent human beings for not stopping him?
Please, all the leaders of the world. Stop this man.

Tom Bettley, Leeds,

How we long for the days of Ian Smith, colonialism, and full stomachs instead of the Stalinist Mugabe.

Jack Neidlinger, Jonesboro, USA

All these propaganda about Robert Mugabe, are so ridicules, who has given Britain the right to interfere in his country. Is all these crocodile tears for the people of Zimbabwe, or because he kicked former exploiters out his country for good.

John, Atlanta, GA

Mugabe is not a dictator. It is so amazing that you are all making more noise about Mugabe than 12 million Zimbabweans. We are not blind and we know the west has permanent interests and not permanent friends. Zimbabeans will yet shock you come 27 June. You are backing the wrong horse.

Cynthia , Harare, Zimbabwe

For God's sake why cannot the Italian Government or our wonderful EU arrest Mugabe and charge him with genocide and crimes against humanity? Inaction is complicity.

Wendy Earl, St Austell, UK

Charan Muzaya, Seeing your comments has restored some of my faith in humanity! Yes Britain did some wrong things in history and we have paid for it in billions and billions of dollars worth of British tax payers money over the years...

Tom, London, United Kingdom

How is Mugabe paying his Hotel bills?. I suppose he is using a Swiss Bank credit card.!!. Jim

Jim, donegal, ireland

Peace be among Africans during Africa month. The struggle for justice continues. Mandela –come and be real for us. The tyres are burning and the light they provide can still guide us allow the shining path to freedom. Let uhuru and ubuntu strengthen our people. Comrade Mugabe, take back the white man’s wisdom with you to feed your people

Winston Nkomo-Mason, Johannesburg, South Africa

How nice to see Mr. & Mrs. Mugabe in Rome. They are a reproach to our failed foreign policy.

ian cheese, london, uk

If the UN want him PLEASE keep him. His millions stashed away will buy a decent villa in Italia

anna, Johannesburg, South Africa

Paul, Bucks,UK ---you are spot on that "Africans need to help themselves instead of holding out their hands all the time." It's Aid/Donors that have been the bane of Africa. In Zim, prior to 2002, more than 70 % of maize (staple diet) was produced by black small scale farmers not commercial farmers.

chenzira, London,

Pity the Selous Scouts didn't have the opportunity to finish the job. What's happening in Zim has been on the back burner for long time now.

Judith, London,

i hope mugabe wins the election , i will never be ruled by tsvangirai or anyone who is being supported by organisations such as the westminister foundation .
let the solution come from those who liberated us from the very people who calls us obscene .
england is just a tiny dot ........

mwana wevhu, harare, zimbabwe

They have to let him attend, but they don't have to let him out again.

JonB, Manchester, UK

If Italy and Europe is against him attending but due to it being a UN meeting have to allow him access, so be it.
Maybe the shops, restaurants and hotels should demonstrate their disgust at this regime by denying him and his followers entry.

Ted, Chester, UK

The majority of the people voted mugabe in, now they must have the courage to get him and his henchmen out..

Iris, Maidenhead, UK

I'm tired of this. Everybody is happy to whine on about how beastly Robert Mugabe is but nobody is willing to do anything meaningful about it. The fact is, were he to be ousted, Zimbabwe would still be in a mess. Southern Rhodesia worked well enough and it wasn't too bad when Smith et al took over.

James, Manchester,

Where are all the south africans and zimbaweans living in Roma. Protest - do something. Wines, dines and shops , makes one sick

anna, Johannesburg, South Africa

is he the wrong sort of dictator that the west doesn,t like?
would you have liked him more if he was the right sort of dictator like that of arabia your closest ally?

mehdi, baol_iran,

it only goes to show what a topsy turvy world we live in. Dictators can wine and dine in luxury, whilst the people for whom they are responsible starve in the gutters. Murderers can demand their human rights whilst victims rights are denied. The political world is duplicitous and self seeeking.

Trevor Dee, Torbay, UK

Silvio doesn't have them to grab a real bad guy. He can't even get a handle on a garbage bag.

Linda Dial, Calgary, Canada

Who is paying for him to attend?

Roger Ferguson, Prenton, U.K.

A Spanish judge had Pinochet arrested while in Britain. Why has no left-wing judge done similar to Mugabe in Italy? Is the difference that Pinochet was white, but Mugabe's crimes against his people are somehow excused because he is black?

Paul Francis, Brisbane, Australia

What arrogant looking animals.

Barbara, KC, Ks., USA

Most people I have met in the UK know very little about Zim beyond the "headlines". Ask urself what you really know about Zim. Do you know why Mugabe was knighted in 1994 ? Do you know if there is any difference between a township dweller in any of the countries of SADC? Do you know what a twnshp is

Roger Ndaba , St Albans, UK

Where once the 3rd World hailed him as one of the finest leaders of great intellect when he became PM in 1980, sadly, like those who have tasted power and find it hard to relinquish office honorably, he's become another petty despot enjoying the good life while most of his people remain destitute.

SD Goh , PJ, Malaysia

is there not 54 countries in Africa? why all the news about Zimbabwe?

people now realize that our leaders followed their personal agenda in invading Iraq.

does britsih minister Peter Hain and others we do not know of own farms in Zimbabwe?

aso, uk,

If Zimbabwe had OIL like Kuwait or Iraq ... the people would not be suffering.

George Bush (Sn) or (Jn) would have found a reason to liberate it from dictators.

Oh, what a life.

Vishal Patel, London, UK

Africans need to help themselves instead of holding out their hands all the time. They created this mess and now they need to fix it. Africa isn't the white mans problem anymore.

Paul, Bucks, England

Some of the comments on here depress me more than Mugabe's little holiday.
One day, just maybe, we can a reasoned debate about violent dictators / world affairs without people making specious and irrelevant comments about Bush/Blair/Iraq/etc. It's a totally different issue you one trick ponies!

Peter, London,

It's easy. Arrest him on a charge of crimes against democrazy.

Peter, London, UK

Roger Ndaba , St Albans, UK

Please let's give credit where credit is due. The British people have supported Africans like me over the decades by offering equal benefit access. At least they have tried to. I for one am thankful for the education and other opportunities I have had in this country.

Charan Muzaya, London, UK

Doesn't that chauffeur look tense driving possibly the most hated person in the world?

Charan Muzaya, London, UK

Funny how people living in enlightened democracies bash thier leaders and praise tyrants. The question you should all ask yourself is "Would I visit there"? USA-yes Britain-yes France-yes Germany-yes Israel-yes Austalia-yes and so on
Zimbadwe-NO
Iran-NO
N Korea- NO
If you don't like it leave it

Tyler, Republic, USA

Roger, uk ---bravo!
"Fiction is substituted for fact, news is carefully filtered, wars of aggression are dubbed ‘fighting for democracy’.

chenzira, London,

Boring! ahmadinejad and mugabe have as much right to be at the summit as do Bush and Brown et al. At least they are not responsible for the recent genocidal strife in Iraq
Or is it that everyone here is apoplectic because they are standing up to the Whites (Israel, white farmers, UK)? Racism eh!

Mark, London,

The United Nations is a joke - along with Mugabe and Ahmadinejad.
Perhaps they should spend less time accommodating these tyrants and more time condemming them (and maybe add some proper sanctions).

R Jacobs, Sydney,

The last time Mugabe attended a UN summit (New York, September 2006) Jack Straw went up to him and shook his hand. Wonder if David Milliband can better that!

Ian, Geneva,

If you are all so concerned about the plight of Africans why not start by helping those in your community ? Those who are blighted in estates across the UK or dare I say France etc why not help them first before trying to help those in Zim. What do you all really know about Zimbabwe ? keep it local.

Roger Ndaba , St Albans, UK

"accused not only of running a fraudulent election but bringing his country to the verge of collapse because of food shortages" Sounds like Mugabe got his politics from King George w.

Lavanc, Washington, D.C.,

Ahmadinejad violates the human rights of the Iranian people? Yes, absolutely, homosexuality is punished by hanging. I think death is still considered to be a violation of one's rights.

If Palestinians stop using violence as their road to freedom, more countries would take up their cause.

Lavanc, Washington, D.C.,

A Zimbabwean newspaper quoted last week that Mugabe asked the state newspaper management to increase the font size of the newspaper. He claims he can't read the small print of the paper! I wonder whether he is planning to afterwards say that he didn't know what was happening in the country!

Charan Muzaya, London, UK

I can't help remembering Blairs lame justification for invading Iraq -

" I believe removing Saddam from power was the right thing to do".

It's a pity that Zimbabwe has no Oil to speak of or Al Saud family members involved. The West would have 'removed' Mugabe years ago.

Jon, Shropshire, UK

the hypocrisy of Isreal is staggering.....they know a thing or two about destruction of of other states and genocide (Shabra and Shatilla come to mind )

simon, burnley, England

John, Chester

You go from a story about the despot Mugabe to an (irrational) swipe at Israel. Bizarre.

You have to applaud Mugabe for his brass neck though. The man's hide must be thicker than several herds of rhino.

Geoff, Exeter,

What the fuss anyway. We the people of Africa. We the people of Africa know what the highly amoral US & Britain are responsible for the situation in Somalia, they supported DRC's Mobutu, supported apartheid in south africa, Mandela is still on the list of 'terrorists' in US, what hypocrisy. Saints??

Aristotle, Luanda, Angola

The Australian Foreign Minister seems to sum up the Mugabe visit to Italy on the world food crisis seminar as obscene. How can this man be allowed into Europe even though it is a UN meeting.It is indeed obscene to have a man who has caused so much pain to the people of Zimbabwe shame on Europe.

margot parker, Kettering, UK

Since when did the UN supercede the laws of any country?
Mugabe should have been declared persona non grata or better still arrested for offending against human rights laws.

Brian O Cinneide, eThekwini, Afrika Borwa

I think the world community must react faster to isolate Mugabe and his regime from all aspect of relationships and diplomacy.

Duhuky, Ilford, UK

Mugabe: top of the Nuke List. Mills McCartney a close second. why doesn't someone just take him out? Job lot?!

Cathy, London, UK

Mugabe just can't resist the luxuary lifestyle while his own people starve and live in squalor.

Alison, Edinburgh, UK

After all, Mugabe does know a lot about famine.

Chris, Edinburgh,

Perhaps he has been invited to explain why the bread basket of Africa is empty or whether the persecution and murder of white farmers was really such a good idea.

Cromwell, Leeds, England

Maybe steps should be taken to make Mugabe a criminal (crimes against humanity), that way he wouldn't be allowed in any humane country.

He is certainly not welcome in his own country!

kim, London,

The UN makes another outstanding contribution to global affairs. This organisation is more trouble than it's worth - it's an all words-no action talking shop, and a place where tyrants can gain some sense of self-importance and an equal stage with democracies.

Steve, Norwich, Norfolk

A last platform, a last shopping trip....no doubt Mugabe and his entourage will make a meal of this visit. It is unlikely that any of the conference crumbs will fall down to the Zimbabweans. And if the AID organizations want to track where the funds went, why not stake out the boutiques

Mark, London, london, uk

Wonder if any member of the Italian Security Force will worry when they see a red dot flit around Mugabe or Ahmadinejad's faces?

Nick, Leicester,

There is enough evidence to arrest Mugabe for crimes against humanity. By not doing so, the UN is now party to the crimes of the Mugabe. Each UN member hasthe blood of innocent women and children on their hands.

Dennis, Johannesburg, South Africa.

I do not understand how his visit can be objected to. The more time this man spends outside his violent ring of sycophants and among intelligent people who do not need to kowtow to his ego the better. The only crime would be if our representatives shyed away from publicly humiliating him.

byrne harris, whyteleafe,

What a farce. How can we set rules for citizens and yet the so-called rulers flout them at their whim. This bloke is killing people on a daily basis and we let him attend a summit. The world is completely mad!

Paul Munro, London, London

Well what are we waiting for? Arrest this dictator now and lock him up in the Hague to await trial! Don't let him go back to Zimbabwe with loaded designer shopping bags and a smirk on his face. You could at least refuse his wifes credit card.

Colin, Cambridge, UK

Stand by for a coup d'etat.

jeffp, newport, wales

Iran has a military nuclear program? Israel have 150 odd nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad violates the human rights of the Iranian people? Israel have been violating human rights of the Palestinians for decades.
Israels hypocrisy really does know no bounds.

John, Chester, UK

OK, so who's got the guts to arrest Mugabe? Oh, no-one. What a surprise.

Dave, Notts, UK

Behind closed doors, back slapping, hugs and kisses, one big happy family.

brian keating, agde, france

I wonder what the wonderful Mrs Mugage will do while all this boring politics goes on.

Perhaps she will be seen enjoying spending, spending, spending, in the fashionalble boutiques and shoe shops of Rome ?

Nelson, London,