LISBON - European and African leaders wound up a summit meeting yesterday in open conflict over trade deals between the continents and over human rights violations in Zimbabwe, despite committing themselves to a new partnership of equals.
President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe used the final day of the meeting to denounce European critics of his government as ill-informed stooges of the country's former colonial master, Britain. Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain had stayed away from the two-day meeting in Lisbon to protest Mugabe's presence.
Africans closed ranks around Mugabe, refusing to criticize a government that is accused of persistent human rights abuses. But a more serious division emerged over trade.
The European Union is negotiating a series of economic partnership agreements, intended to replace existing deals with African countries, and wants to reach a consensus on them by the end of the year.
The Europeans say that without such agreements, African countries could lose tariff-free access to European markets. "It's clear that Africa rejects the EPAs," President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal said at a news conference.
European leaders had hopes the meeting would help the Europeans retain their traditional influence in Africa. That has been challenged by China offering loans and contracts. .
The Lisbon meeting ended with an ambitious action plan, covering issues ranging from immigration to climate change.
The verdict on the meeting at which 80 countries were represented was mixed. The host, Prime Minister Jose Socrates of Portugal, said it would "go down in history because of its spirit of mutual equality between states."
The groups Save the Children and Human Rights Watch, however, issued separate statements denouncing the lack of concrete achievements.
The dispute over trade will have to be confronted by European foreign ministers at a meeting today, and the EU appears split over the economic partnership agreements.
The trade deals the countries have been asked to sign cover goods only. But a clause in the agreements would oblige African countries to start negotiations on opening their domestic markets in areas including services, which many African nations are reluctant to consider.
Britain is pressing for a European pledge not to impose tariffs on African countries should they refuse to sign the agreements by Dec. 31.
Aid agencies are pressing for concessions. "This summit could be a wake-up call for European leaders if they realize that there are big problems with these deals," said Amy Barry, a spokeswoman on trade issues for the aid organization Oxfam. Mugabe's presence, meanwhile, provided a reminder of how the legacy of colonialism complicated the relationship between the continents, as African leaders rejected criticism from Europeans. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany had issued a denunciation of the situation in Zimbabwe that was supported by the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Mugabe responded yesterday, referring to his critics as "Gordon's gang of four," a reference to the British prime minister.
