“I listened to the chancellor (Merkel) and I respect her…but she was speaking based on information most of which is inaccurate,” Wade told reporters after Merkel accused Mugabe of undermining the image of Africa.
Wade, who made a visit to Harare last month, said the reality of the situation in Zimbabwe had been distorted by the media.
“Everything that we are being told is not true, its false,” Wade said.
“Zimbabwe is not a country that is in the process of disintegrating, President Mugabe is not about to fall. That’s just not the case. I went there and I spoke with the opposition as well as those in power.”
Merkel lambasted Mugabe for “damaging” the image of the continent.Â
Speaking at the opening session of the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Merkel said, “The situation of Zimbabwe is damaging the image of the new Africa…The whole European Union has the same view of what is happening there. Zimbabwe concerns us all – in Europe as in Africa: the intimidating of opponents, the restriction of the free press cannot be justified.”
Merkel’s comments were in stark contrast to that of South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki who failed to make any specific reference to Zimbabwe, instead glossing over the issue and making general comments to booosting human rights across the continent of Africa through institutions and agreements.
Despite British Prime Minister’s Gordon Brown’s absence from the summit, his appointed representative, Baroness Amos defended Mbeki’s position, arguing hast he had to be “very careful” as he was leading a committee laying the ground rules for new elections in Zimbabwe.
“When you are in the midst of negotiations you have to be very careful what you say. You don’t just go out there and start criticising the country when you have a specific role as a mediator, ” Amos said.
Meanwhile the European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, defended inviting Mugabe to the summit in what some of the British press say is an implicit criticism of Gordon Brown who decided to stay away in protest against Mugabe’s misrule.
“Life has taught me that if you are in international politics, sometime you have to meet people that your mother would not like to see you with,” Mr Barroso old a news conference in Brussels.
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