<<Print>>

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is boycotting a United Nations conference after Switzerland denied visas to his wife and five members of his delegation. The six were due to accompany the veteran ruler to the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) summit on information and communication technologies already under way in Geneva. President Mugabe was leading the Zimbabwean delegation but cancelled the trip after his wife Grace, two ministers from his Zanu PF party, the head of the intelligence service Retired Major Happyton Bonyongwe, presidential spokesman Mr George Charamba and one of the president's bodyguards were denied visas. The Minister of Information Communication Technology Mr Nelson Chamisa, a member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was granted the visa along with the president. President Mugabe, his wife and senior members of his party are subject to travel bans to European countries. But countries hosting UN meetings are obliged to grant them visas and the Zimbabwean government says it has launched a formal complaint with the UN.