Politics as usual in Africa

After the widely criticized sham elections in Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, attended an African Union (AU) summit in the Egyptian resort of
Sharm el-Sheikh, amid international condemnation of his re-election. But African leaders avoid criticising the 84-year-old president.


"He was hugging everyone, pretty much everyone he could get close to," the delegate said on condition of anonymity.

Amr el-Kahky, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sharm el-Sheikh,
said: "The [opening] speeches by the African officials, especially
Egyptian president Hosni Mubabrak, did not touch on the Zimbabwe
elections.

"He mentioned Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia – but he
did not mention Zimbabwe. That tells you about the mood into the
summit. There are people who don't want to talk about it despite all
the Western calls to try to address the subject."

Speaking in Nairobi, Raila Odinga, Kenya's prime minister, said the AU should bar Mugabe from the summit.

"They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections," Odinga said.

The US reaction has been much harsher.

a US-drafted UN
resolution called for the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo
on Zimbabwe, while rejecting the vote as illegitimate. The draft called for a freeze on the assets and
travel of Zimbabweans individuals and companies who helped Zanu-PF to
"undermine democratic processes".

"We will press for strong action by the United Nations but we could also act unilaterally," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.