Food summit's distaste for Mugabe

Rome - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe skirted a European Union (EU) travel ban yesterday to attend the UN World Food Summit despite complaints his policies were worsening the food crisis in the country.

Mugabe took up his place in the plenary hall at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and was scheduled to speak later in the day.

EU spokesperson Gunnar Wiegand said the visit did not break the EU travel ban, since it did not apply when officials were travelling for meetings of international organisations.

Wiegand said there was a separate EU ban on bilateral ministerial meetings with Mugabe and the other banned officials, adding that the Italians had said they were upholding it.

Wiegand said: "It is distasteful to see the president of Zimbabwe give the impression he really cares about the poverty and the provision of food for his people ."

Zimbabwe's opposition has accused the government of withholding food aid from its supporters even as the country is experiencing a food crisis.

The government has denied the claims, but independent aid workers and human rights groups have raised concerns over unfair distribution and interference in relief programmes by local state officials and militants of the ruling party.

Zimbabwe is among several southern African countries seeking food aid.

Severe food shortages have been caused by erratic rains and farm disruptions in a state scheme to nationalise 95 percent of white-owned farms.

A US network estimates that a fourth of Zimbabwe's 12.5 million people are facing hunger.