Why?

This issue about Brown's boycott to African minister presence in Lisbon is not new, yet, the African president will travel to Lisbon in Brown's place.

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe announced yesterday that he will travel to Europe next week to attend a summit of EU and African leaders in Lisbon, confounding EU hopes he would stay away, and triggering frantic plans by his Portuguese hosts to try to keep him from stealing the summit limelight.
African leaders had threatened to cancel the Lisbon meeting if Mugabe was not invited, while the prime minister, Gordon Brown, confirmed yesterday that he would boycott the summit because of the presence of the Zimbabwe leader.

As a Portuguese citizen I have to share my disappointment on my country's decision on accepting this dictator and murder to go in just because it is "politically correct" to accept him. Well done for Gordon Brown!