But the consensus concealed a divergence of views among the 15 member states with reservations among nations with long-standing interests in Africa.France’s former foreign minister Hubert V?ine said most sanctions were ineffective. But in the run-up to elections EU countries were willing to go along with the British strategy because European election observers had been prevented from doing their work and the EU had to react.Providing no other EU country objects, France is within its rights to invite Mr Mugabe to Paris for a formal summit. Zimbabweans can attend UN gatherings and international meetings designed to conduct political dialogue or “to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law”.Crucially, Harare has been backed by its African neighbours, which have expressed solidarity and threatened to boycott talks if the Zimbabwean president was excluded.French officials said Mr Mugabe had been invited with all other African heads of state. Since many of them stood accused of human rights abuses of one kind or another, to single out the Zimbabwean president for exclusion would have been wrongFrance and Africa: The story of a special relationshipBy John Lichfield The first Franco-African summit was a meeting between France and its former colonies in 1973, but it has expanded to embrace all African countries.At the last meeting in Paris in 1998, 49 countries and 35 heads of state attended – including President Robert Mugabe.The summits have been described as expensive talking shops. Critics say they have done little for African problems or for France’s standing in a continent in which it claims a “special relationship”.French officials argued yesterday that the invitation to Mr Mugabe was part of a blanket invitation to African leaders and that it would have been wrong to single him out.

Countries such as Libya and Sudan, have been excluded in the past because of UN sanctions.. Victory celebrations gave way to coalition wrangling yesterday, a day after Dutch voters flocked to the center and abandoned the radical party of the murdered populist Pim Fortuyn. Fortuyn’s party held onto only 8 of the 26 seats it won in the previous election last May.Queen Beatrix, who oversees the process of forming a government, met her political advisers Thursday ahead of interviewing party leaders Friday.Balkenende has said he wants to explore combinations that would permit him to remain with his main ally, the pro-business Liberal party, and a smaller third party, rather than join forces with Labour.”We have big differences that you can’t just walk away from,” Balkenende said about Labour. He mentioned health care, education and the economy.But Dutch editorial writers said the surge by Labour, which won 19 seats, cannot be ignored.”The vote’s result points unambiguously toward a cabinet of Christian Democrats and Labour,” wrote the Amsterdam-based De Volkskrant. “With such a surprising win, Labour can’t be held outside the government.

That would be a great insult to the voter.”Although the two parties have governed together before, as recently as 1994, there was no guarantee they could come to terms again. After the 1977 election, they negotiated for six months before abandoning the attempt.The election outcome was seen as a return to political calm after a year of upheaval which saw two governments resign, two parliamentary elections, and the phenomenal rise and fall of the anti-immigration party Pim Fortuyn’s List. A President of the European Union should have sweeping powers to whip Europe’s leaders into line, preside at summits and oversee foreign policy, according to a British government document circulating in Brussels. Tony Blair has been tipped as a possible candidate for the job, although several others, including the Spanish premier, Jose Maria Aznar, are thought to be interested.The document is circulating at the convention on the future of Europe, chaired by the former French president, Val? Giscard d’Estaing. With the EU due to expand to 25 member states next year the convention aimsto streamline the EU and draw up a draft constitution for EU leaders to approve.The paper was drafted by Britain’s government representative at the convention, the Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, andis likely to dispel charges that the presidency would be a non-job. However it may not satisfy critics who believe that a presidency would cause duplication and overlap, creating new turf wars and weakening the European Commission.The document suggests that the chosen person would preside over EU leaders’ summits, controlling agendas and conclusions, and could call emergency meetings of heads of government. They would also undertake pre-summit negotiations with all EU leaders.

The president would have the right to attend meetings of the European Commission.The president would also sit on the G8 as the EU’s representative, liaising with EU leaders and taking responsibility for strategic relations with world powers, including the US, Russia, China and Japan.The paper makes it clear that the president would be above the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, currently Javier Solana. At the convention there has been a growing consensus on the need to combine his functions with those of the European Commissioner for external relations, currently Chris Patten.Supporters of the proposal are now softening their language, describing the job as a “chairman”. Although the plan was central to a Franco-German plan launched last week, there is deep opposition within the convention, attended by 105 national and European politicians. The Belgian Foreign Minister, Louis Michel, described the proposal as “unacceptable” and critics included the Dutch government representative, Gijs De Vries, and the former Italian premier, Guiliano Amato.Andrew Duff, a pro-federalist Liberal Democrat member of the convention, said yesterday that the British paper was evidence of “a plot to create and executive presidency of the European Council which, in the end, will kill the European Commission”. He added: “Fortunately, people are beginning to see through the British plot.”.