While high-ranking state officials met other heads of state and government at the airport, a junior minister of social affairs in Lisbon, Portugal, met Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe yesterday, sources say.

His country stands at the bottom of almost all charts including on the world inflation front where at 14 000 it is the highest in the world.

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador in the European Union, Dr Andrew Mutetwa and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, met Mugabe while the Portuguese host met other heads of state and government.

The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has already said he would not be attending the Lisbon Summit as doing so would be rubber stamping Mugabe’s dictatorial rule in Zimbabwe.

Brown has sent a junior minister to represent, the UK which was the colonizer of Zimbabwe before independence in 1980.

Mugabe's team decided to play a low key role saying the Zimbabwe issue would not be on the agenda yesterday and Mugabe was attending just like any other head of state and government because he had been invited to do so by the Portuguese government.

Mbeki is worried that the talks between the MDC and the ruling Zanu PF party have collapsed and this could result in more refugees entering his country especially next year after the election.

The Mugabe team has however decided to keep their lips closed and watch events as they unfold in Lisbon.

Meanwhile human rights activists have said they would disrupt operations at the Summit if Mugabe attends because he is abusing his privilege given to him by the Zimbabwean electorate.

Civil rights groups have also said they would hold up banners denouncing the 83-year old head of state who has said he is standing next year because he has been given overwhelming support by the women and the war veterans who marched in Highfield, Harare, in the Million Man and Woman March.

Officials have however disputed the million figures saying the election has more than six million registered voters and Mugabe could be given a shock at the polls.

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