LONDON (AFP) — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's attendance at a UN food crisis summit in Rome is "particularly unfortunate," a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday.
"We think it's particularly unfortunate that he has decided to attend this meeting given what he has done in relation to contributing to difficulties on food supply in Zimbabwe," said the spokesman.
Britain will be represented at the summit by International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, he added. "Obviously he will not be meeting Mr. Mugabe or having anything to do with them," said the spokesman.
He did not say whether Mugabe's unexpected arrival in Rome ahead of the conference had led to a change in the level of participation by Britain, the former colonial power in Zimbabwe.
The presidents of Brazil, France, Argentina, Egypt and Iran, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Nicolas Sarkozy, Cristina Kirchner, Hosni Mubarak and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have confirmed their plans to attend the conference.
Brown boycotted a European Union-Africa summit in Portugal in December over Mugabe's attendance.
Pressed on why a minister was going to Rome when Brown boycotted the EU-Africa meeting, the spokesman underlined the importance of the UN food crisis conference.
"This is a very important meeting that will cover the very important and very topical issue of food security, and its effect on people around the world," he said.
He was asked what Alexander would do if he found himself in the same room as Mugabe. "Douglas Alexander certainly will not have any engagement or interaction with Mugabe," he said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to open the Rome conference Tuesday by unveiling an "action plan" to confront the crisis of runaway prices which have sparked riots across the world.
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