Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Anderson of Swansea (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 24 May 2007.

Zimbabwe: UN Commission on Sustainable Development

Question: My Lords, this is not the first time that the principle of Buggins’s turn adopted by the African countries has led to absurdities. One thinks of Libya going into the chair of the United Nations human rights organisation and the President of Sudan almost becoming president of the African Union. Can we not make clear to our friends in Africa that they are devaluing themselves and international organisations by this practice? But are we not in danger ourselves of being accused of hypocrisy if we allow the EU-Africa summit in December under the Portuguese presidency to issue an invitation to President Mugabe?

Answer: My Lords, on the last point, just for clarity, there is no change in our position: people who are on the list of those not allowed to travel to the EU remain on that list. On the more general question, that point is consistently made in diplomatic discussions with African nations and it has a real impact. President al-Bashir has quite rightly not been elected as chairman of the African Union. That resulted from all the work that was done in Africa by friends in Africa, by the European Union and by many in the United Nations. Such an unfortunate election should not be taken as the norm or as something that we would not resist in future.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 692 c763
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Public appointments Zimbabwe UN Commission on Sustainable Development
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk