On Sunday 9th December, the second Africa/Europe summit ended in Lisbon, Portugal with African leaders seemingly acting in their own best interests by rejecting out of hand the proposed new EU Economic Partnerships Agreements (EPAs). EU leaders had wanted to force through a new agreement before an existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) waiver on preferential agreements ended on 31 December. Senegal's president Abdoulaye Wade told reporters on Sunday: "It was said several times during the plenary session and it was said again this morning: African states reject the EPAs."

Controversy had been brewing for several months leading up to the summit, as UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown had made it clear, EU and AU leaders must choose between having him or Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe present at the summit; Mugabe has been under a EU travel ban since 2002. What must have came as a surprise to Mr Brown, was that, not only had African leaders stood their ground and affirmed there will be no summit at all without an invite being sent to the Zimbabwean Premier, but almost all Europe leaders too rejected Mr Brown’s childish tantrum and attended the two-day gathering. The UK government shamelessly sent junior minister Baroness Amos in its stead.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel had the thankless task of condemning Zimbabwe’s human rights record on behalf of the EU. It had been reported that Merkel had asked Mr Mbeki to request Mr Mugabe not be too “hard-hitting” in his response to her comments. Presidents’ Mbeki (South Africa), Wade (Senegal), Kufuor (Ghana) and Mugabe took turns in repelling the lecture on African human rights, but there was to be no such luck for Merkel’s ‘go ease on me’ request as the severest criticism came from Zimbabwe’s Information Minister who aptly described Merkel as a Nazi remnant, with fascist inclinations.