October 6, 2007 (LPAC) - South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed confidence that the opposition in Zimbabwe, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), will soon reach an agreement with the ruling Zanu-PF, which will enable national elections to go forward.

"We are quite confident that there will be a positive outcome that will create the political conditions to address the very serious economic crisis in Zimbabwe," Mbeki said during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Locust Merkel.

Merkel told the press conference that Germany would not go along with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's effort to force Mugabe to be barred from attending the European Union-African Union Summit in Portugal. According to today's Mail and Guardian she said, "I have said right from the start that the president of the Republic of Germany wanted to invite all African countries to the summit, and it's up to countries themselves to decide how they are going to be represented at the table." Nonetheless she also said, "I also said [to Mbeki] that obviously we will make all our assessments heard. We will also raise all our criticisms. We would do so in the presence of each and everyone and obviously each and everyone has the right to attend."

If the British ban Mugabe from the Summit, shouldn't Africa ban the British Empire from Africa? Hasn't Africa been looted enough from the financier interests run out of the British Cayman Islands? Also, consider the BAE systems involvement in arms trafficking through John Bedenkamp, in South Africa. Are Africans not fed up with British imperial policies?