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The 22nd Franco-African summit will kick off Feb. 20 in Paris amid a torrent of controversies.
First, embattled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will attend, since the French government refused to support an extension of EU sanctions against Zimbabwe unless the travel ban against Mugabe was waived to allow him to enter Paris. Paris felt forced to make this move because without Mugabe, many other African leaders likely would have avoided the summit, and it could have collapsed altogether.
Second, there is much ado over Cote d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo’s plans not to attend the summit. Thousands of French soldiers are deployed in Cote d'Ivoire, and Gbagbo's refusal to come to France signals a serious breach in relations between Abidjan and Paris.
Other key African leaders expected to attend include Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, South African President Thabo Mbeki and King Mohammed VI of Morocco. A total of 45 African leaders are expected.
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