Brown shuns Mugabe Africa summit

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"I will not be attending this summit," he declared at his Downing Street press conference.

"Given the circumstances of the last 10 years and our attempts to give assistance in Zimbabwe, which have been thwarted and resisted, it is not possible for us to attend this summit and sit down with President Mugabe."

Next month's gathering in Lisbon, Portugal, is seen as vital to revive Europe's relations with the African continent - but Mr Brown alone amongst European leaders has refused to set foot in the same room as Mr Mugabe.

The UK would support reconstruction efforts if Zimbabwe moved away from "conditions of oppression and repression" and towards free and fair elections, he added.

On Tuesday, as Mr Mugabe was reported in Zimbabwe to have finally announced his intention to take part in the talks, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso repeated his insistence that the talks were bigger than any personality clash between individuals.

All EU leaders agree with Mr Brown's trenchant views on the Mugabe regime and the abuse of human rights in a country now in economic meltdown, but none so far agree that it would be worth risking the EU-Africa summit in protest.

A spokesman for the European Commission reflected the majority EU view, saying: "If Mr Mugabe confirms his participation at the EU-Africa summit, President Barroso will use the occasion to raise the issue of human rights with Zimbabwe.

"The Commission hopes that this will be raised both by European and African partners."