LISBON - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will attend a European Union-Africa summit in December in Lisbon, triggering a boycott of the meeting by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
"We got the invitation last week and we are going," George Charamba, Mugabe's spokesman, told Reuters in Mozambique.
Shortly after Mugabe's acceptance became public, a spokesman for Brown said the leader "won't be going. Definitely."
The December 8-9 summit in Lisbon will be the first between the two continents in seven years. Previous efforts to meet have foundered over whether Mugabe, whom the West accuses of widespread human rights violations but who Africa sees as an independence hero, should be invited.
Pressed by rising competition from China in Africa, the EU is determined that this year's summit should take place, in part to solidify its position as Africa's largest trading partner.
A spokeswoman for the Portuguese EU presidency confirmed Mugabe will attend.
In Brussels, an EU source said Portugal would formally notify member states this week that it would waive an EU visa ban on Mugabe and his senior aides to enable the Zimbabwe delegation to travel to Portugal.
Under a deal agreed in the EU, no member state was expected to object despite Britain's misgivings, he said.
A spokesman for Brown said: "The prime minister believes that President Mugabe's attendance will undermine the summit, diverting attention from the important issues that need to be discussed and in those circumstances he has made it clear that he will not attend."
The EU source said Britain was likely to be represented by Africa Minister Mark Malloch-Brown.
George Charamba, Mugabe's spokesman, dismissed Britain's objections to attending saying: "The British fear a handshake. We can't expect timid characters to be where men are."
