The invitation was extended by MPs from Europe and Africa. Head of the delegation of European Union (EU) MPs who visited the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in South Africa, Michael Gahler and PAP legislator, Marwick Khumalo, confirmed in a joint press conference on Friday that they would like Mugabe to attend the summit. The European delegation held a meeting with the PAP to discuss and agree on Mugabe's fate. The Zimbabwean president and his top cronies have been barred from travelling to the West because they are held responsible for the unprecedented economic and political crisis in the southern African country.
Gahler and Khumalo revealed that the EU-Africa MPs will hold a meeting a day before the heads of state summit. They hope the pre-summit meeting will influence the decisions of the leaders. They want Mugabe to attend the summit so that other heads of state could meet him and discuss his problems. The MPs hope Mugabe would have a chance to appear in the BBC Hard Talk programme to give his side of the story. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has threatened to boycott the summit if Mugabe attends. By last week, some European leaders were not decided whether to attend.
