ZIMBABWE: President Teodoro Obiang of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea holds talks with his embattled Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe in Harare

President Teodoro Obiang of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea is holding talks with his embattled Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe. The two veteran leaders opened the annual Harare Agricultural Show on Friday (August 31). President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea is in Zimbabwe to hold talks with his embattled Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe. The two leaders officially opened Zimbabwe's annual Agricultural Show in the capital Harare. Observers say fuel may be a key issue in the talks given Zimbabwe's chronic shortages and Equatorial Guinea's position as one Africa's top producers. Despite their attendance at the fair that showcases farm produce and techniques from all over the country, thousands of Zimbabweans are fleeing what was once the bread basket of southern Africa. The country is now facing severe food, fuel and foreign currency shortages and the world's highest inflation rate of more than 7,000 percent. Mugabe blames Western sanctions while his critics say the veteran leader has destroyed the economy with his controversial policy of farm seizures. The two countries are also been linked by an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. Its leader, ex-British soldier Simon Mann, is imprisoned in Zimbabwe. Obiang may ask Mugabe for Mann to be extradited to face charges in Equatorial Guinea. Mugabe, 83, who has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is expected to seek re-election in March presidential and parliamentary elections. The previous two general elections were mired in allegations of vote-rigging and intimidation. Critics have questioned whether the next polls will be fair, given restrictive media laws and a government-ordered security clampdown.

ITN Source | August 31, 2007

Tags:. .leaders. .robert. .linked. .laws. .holds