In a bold attempt to add legitimacy to his rule, controversial Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe attended an African Union summit on Monday as much of the international community condemned his government.
Mugabe attended the summit in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, despite major criticism surrounding a recent presidential election and runoff.
Sonia Verma, a reporter covering the meetings, spoke to Â鶹´«Ã½net from Sharm El-Sheik Monday.
"There's a really curious dichotomy between the response from African leaders and the response from Western leaders over Mugabe's legitimacy," she said.
Verma said Mugabe was treated as a legitimate leader at the summit.
"A lot of the African leaders come from countries that don't have the best record when it comes to democracy."
"(Mugabe) could even be seen hugging some of the other delegates," she said.
Meanwhile, Canada has implemented travel, work and study sanctions against Zimbabwe -- one of a number of nations to take action.
Mugabe was sworn in for his sixth term after winning an election on Friday.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whose supporters have been targeted by violence in recent weeks, has been hiding out in the Dutch embassy, and finally withdrew from the race last week over the danger to his supporters.
As a result, Mugabe was the only candidate on the ballot that people could actually vote for.
He dismissed Mugabe's inauguration as "an exercise in self-delusion."
Western hopes pinned on AU
Mugabe was unlikely to face strong criticism at the Egypt summit, with most other AU leaders more likely to use diplomacy to try to convince Mugabe to accept a power-sharing agreement with his opponent.
Former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy told Canada AM the AU leaders must unite to pressure Mugabe as a whole, in order to effect change and maintain the credibility of their organization.
"There's been a real ambiguity in the position taken by the African Union or the members of the African Union," Axworthy said.
"But I think as world pressure begins to apply and as they feel that this is really putting a question mark into the commitment of the African Union to democratic government and the institutions of the African Union, which were really developed as a way of saying we're no longer going to tolerate and accept these kinds of renegade actions."
AU foreign ministers who met before the summit began have drafted a resolution that condemns violence and called for dialogue -- though not specifically in reference to Zimbabwe.
He added that his government will help Zimbabwe with its economy and poverty issues when democracy is restored.
Jean Ping, the African Union Commission chair, said at the summit that members should "shoulder the responsibilty" of helping Zimbabwe, though Ping didn't criticize Mugabe.
However, the UN's deputy secretary-general Asha-Rose Migiro, called the situation an "extremely grave" crisis.
"This is the single greatest challenge ... in southern Africa, not only because its terrible humanitarian consequences but also because of the dangerous political precedent it sets," she told delegates during an opening address.
But Mugabe has threatened to expose other AU leaders for their own sins if they criticize his record.
The Herald, Zimbabwe's pro-government media source --reported Monday that Mugabe "was prepared to face any of his AU counterparts disparaging Zimbabwe's electoral conduct because some of their countries had worse" elections records.
Most African government, including South Africa, have declined to take a strong stance against Mugabe.
Axworthy said the AU has the opportunity to set an important precedent.
"Mr. Mugabe is really challenging what has become a very important standard, which is the idea of impunity, that a leader can let get away with murder and not be called to account by the international community," he said.
"If governments don't protect their own people then the international community must take that responsibility. I think this is a very clear case where that applies."
On Sunday, electoral officials said Mugabe had won 85 per cent of the vote in the Friday runoff -- an election that observers criticized as rife with violence and intimidation.
But he appeared to offer an olive branch of sorts, just hours after his inauguration.
"Sooner or later, as diverse political parties, we shall start serious talks," he said in a speech following his swearing-in Sunday. Mugabe had also promised talks on the eve of the vote.
U.S. President George Bush wants the UN Security Council to put an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and impose travel bans on government officials.
