African leaders drop attack on UK's Zimbabwe policy

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Leading article: Africa's failure to condemn Mr Mugabe is a sign of political cowardice

An annual summit of African leaders expunged criticism of Britain's policy over Zimbabwe from its final declaration yesterday in a face-saving move that also served to humiliate President Robert Mugabe.

Lobbying by South Africa, Nigeria and other "modern" members of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was due to result in a mild declaration on Zimbabwe at the closing session in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, last night. It replaced a draft resolution by foreign ministers which, on Sunday, had expressed "concern" at moves by Britain "to mobilise European and North American countries to isolate and vilify Zimbabwe".

Ahead of the closing session, the South African President, Thabo Mbeki, said: "The declaration says that Britain and Zimbabwe need to get together and continue to search for a solution (over the redistribution of land). That supersedes the ministerial draft."

The scrapping of the anti-British declaration, which had been unanimously adopted by the OAU's council of ministers, saved it from ridicule as it prepares to relaunch itself as the African Union (AU).

President Mbeki is among presidents who want the AU – the brainchild of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi – to shed the OAU's image as a dictators' club, tolerant of corruption and coups. President Mbeki believes Africa should shed colonial allegiances and hang-ups and speak with one voice as an equal among other world lobbies such as the European Union. President Mugabe, on the other hand, expects an endorsement against former colonial powers such as Britain. Hours before the final declaration, the 77-year-old had stated that the anti-British draft "enhances our solidarity with our African brothers".

The OAU said in its final declaration that the Lusaka summit "reaffirmed that the land issue is central to ensuring durable peace, stability and economic development in Zimbabwe". The organisation reiterated its demand "for Britain to honour its colonial obligation" to fund land settlement. The summit called on Britain "to co-operate fully and enter into dialogue with the government of Zimbabwe with the purpose of finding a final solution to this colonial legacy".

Britain says it stopped funding Zimbabwean land resettlement schemes because corruption meant the poor were not benefiting. In 1998, an international donors' conference worked out a new approach, which the Zimbabwe government never implemented.

Ahead of parliamentary elections last year in Zimbabwe in which the ruling party faced its first serious opposition challenge since 1980, President Mugabe put the land issue at the centre of his campaign.

He promised to empower black Zimbabweans economically by giving them white-owned farms. He faces a presidential election next spring.