Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

I am delighted that we are having this debate. This country has had a long association with Zimbabwe through our missionaries and others. We still have 3,000 of our own people in Zimbabwe. It is over 20 years since I, as a Minister for State for Foreign Affairs, visited Zimbabwe. The hope and expectation that was there was palpable. It was not too long after independence. Agriculture was very strong there and the country had the potential to be the bread basket of Africa. There was all that hope then.

What we have now is a country that has been brought to its knees by Mugabe and his cronies. It is now one of the poorest countries in the world. The details have been given. Life expectancy is down to 37 years and falling, while the unemployment rate is 85%. The country also has the highest rate of inflation in the world. It is giving a new definition to hyperinflation. The official figure runs into thousands. In June, the US Ambassador estimated that it would be 1.5 million per cent by the end of this year. One stops counting when one reaches that far.

In contrast, in Burma, which is another country on which we have focused recently, the rate is only 40%. Zimbabwe also has the world's highest rate of AIDS infection. Let us look at it. It is not a coincidence. Zimbabwe has none of the norms of democratic governance. The judiciary is totally repressed. Any of its members who show any independence are dealt with by the regime. The rule of law does not apply. There is even racial discrimination there. There is no independent media. Human rights are blatantly violated. The country is now marked by political violation and intimidation. The independent newspapers were bombed and closed down, while members of the judiciary were threatened and arrested if they showed any indication of having an independent line. Even when the judiciary issued rulings in favour of the opposition MDC, they were ignored by the police.

We are talking about a country that has become the sewer of the world as far as democracy is concerned. Why is this the case? It is because it has been and is ruled by a murderous megalomaniac. Mugabe is a murderous megalomaniac. It is as simple as that. He and his cronies have brought that country to its knees.

When I was a Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs about 20 years ago, I had the doubtful privilege of having to accompany Mugabe around when he visited this country. He told me of his views on the benefits of one-party rule, which he thought would be of great benefit to this country. I did my best to persuade him otherwise. Obviously, I was not very successful. He and his cronies have been responsible for the state of his country.

Efforts have been made to deal with it. I am glad South Africa, which is the main nation in southern Africa, has been making some efforts but let us be blunt. The results have been very poor. There is too much handling of Mugabe with kid gloves. Of course, the lead should be taken by his African neighbours, especially by the biggest power in Africa. I would prefer a much more focused effort on the part of his African neighbours, in particular South Africa.

Quite rightly, there is a huge consensus here. We want to highlight this issue and must raise it at every level when we can. We want to raise it here and throughout the EU. We want to do what we can, which is little enough. We support the EU sanctions, but what are they? There is a ban on arms sales, which is being enforced. Other countries, however, have filled the gap. There are visa restrictions on the top 130 members of the Mugabe regime. That is it, yet he is invited to the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon. My stomach turns at the notion of that man being invited to Europe and the fact that the visa restriction was lifted. What sort of signal are we sending to the other 129 members of the regime when the boss man is brought to Lisbon? It was a bad mistake to invite him to the Lisbon summit and we, or, more correctly, the EU, should have stood firm on it. The wrong signal is going out. One can imagine how that will be relayed back throughout Africa and specifically in Zimbabwe. The notion of that murderous megalomaniac being recognised in Lisbon turns my stomach.

That brings me to the legitimate question of what we do about it. Deputy Timmins asked whether we should be represented at the Lisbon summit. Other countries, including our neighbour, Great Britain, have decided that they will not go. It is a very legitimate point that, to further express our frustration, we should not go either.

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