BELGIAN VIEWS ON EU-AFRICA SUMMIT -- OPPOSED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 002983 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2017 TAGS: PREL BE SUBJECT: BELGIAN VIEWS ON EU-AFRICA SUMMIT -- OPPOSED TO MUGABE, BUT NOT INVITING HIM TO SUMMIT A MISTAKE Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Andrews, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Belgian FM De Gucht strongly supports the idea of holding the EU-Africa Summit, according to MFA African Affairs Director Trouveroy (protect). It could play a useful role in limiting Chinese influence on the continent, as well as offer a forum to discuss other important issues. That said, De Gucht thought the summit plan had at least one fundamental flaw. It would have been better, Trouveroy told polcouns on September 21, for the planners to have selected several topics of common interest and then invited "those who wanted to discuss them." Doing so might have obviated the need to invite every African leader to attend the meeting. De Gucht's greatest fear now was that the present "bloc to bloc" approach had created conditions in which one side or the other would have to give way under potentially harmful circumstances. ¶2. (C) With regard to the issue of inviting President Mugabe, De Gucht has expressed doubts about any decision not to issue an invitation. Although "we obviously don't like what is happening in Zimbabwe," Trouveroy argued, "there are some leaders doing worse than Mugabe." If the latter retained a broad measure of support from other African states, the invitation question will threaten the entire summit. ¶3. (C) The Belgians reportedly have outlined their views at the most recent Gymnich meeting. They will continue to do so as the summit date approached, Trouveroy indicated. Fox .