The European Union will today finalise renewed sanctions against Zimbabwe which diplomats say will force the postponement of an EU/Africa summit scheduled for April.
The April 5th summit in the Portuguese capital Lisbon is likely to be postponed in the absence of a guarantee that Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will stay away, diplomats said.
The EU's sanctions against the Mugabe government, which include a visa ban against the president and 71 of his officials and associates, are due to expire on February 18th.
A French invitation to Mr Mugabe to attend a Franco-African summit in Paris next week has complicated matters.
But EU ambassadors in Brussels will today extend the sanctions for another 12 months, with a review after six months while extending a formal "derogation" to Mr Mugabe allowing him attend the Paris summit on February 20th-21st,.
The EU imposed a 12-month visa ban on Zimbabwe's leadership last February, as violence flared in the run-up to a presidential poll widely condemned as rigged.
The renewal of the sanctions had been blocked by the question of waivers from the travel ban on Zimbabwean leaders.
Two previous attempts had failed to resolve the row but EU ambassadors struck an agreement "in principle" last week to extend the sanctions.
The EU's Greek presidency has in the meantime been trying to get commitments from African countries that Mr Mugabe will not attend the Lisbon gathering in April.
Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden in particular want Mr Mugabe isolated and are hoping Zimbabwe will send Foreign Minister Mr Stan Mudenge instead.
But African countries in turn have threatened to boycott the Lisbon meeting if Mr Mugabe is not invited, putting a question mark over whether the summit can go ahead.
AFP