Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and other African and Southeast Asian leaders are meeting in Malaysia this week to draw up a plan to fight poverty and bolster economic ties.

Mugabe’s presence at the gathering on the island resort of Langkawi is already causing some controversy.

But Malaysia’s foreign minister said the meeting, which will be hosted by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was non-political.

“I have heard that there have been some rumblings, but we must remember that the Langkawi dialogue is to discuss development,” Foreign Minister Malaysia Syed Hamid Albar told the New Straits Times.

“It’s a non-political forum. We will not be discussing politics but socio-economic development.

“Whichever country is in need of development and can learn from the experience of others, they should be encouraged to participate,” he said.

The gathering, dubbed the Langkawi International Dialogue, will bring together some 16 African and Southeast Asian leaders and more than 260 participants.

The forum is the brainchild of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and was launched in 1995 in an attempt to foster close economic and political relations with poor but resource-rich African countries.

Mahathir, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, was an ally of Mugabe’s, with the two men sharing a love of anti-Western rhetoric stoked by a history of British colonialism in both countries.

Syed Hamid said an ambitious action plan would be produced at the end of the three-day meeting, which starts on Monday.

“Poverty is still a fundamental issue worldwide. In many countries, there are people earning less than two US dollars a day,” he said.

Mugabe established an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He has since come to be regarded by many as a tyrannical dictator whose rule has been marked by intimidation, violence, fraud, and robbery.

The octogenarian president has also been slammed for leading the once-model economy into ruin. Inflation in the southern African nation is now running at more than 3,700 percent.

Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy. Its major exports include oil, electronics and electrical products and it is the world’s largest palmoil producer.

Other leaders taking part in the meeting include Lesotho’s prime minister, the Namibian and Zambian presidents and King Mswati III of Swaziland.

Leaders from four Asian countries — Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Thailand will also attend for the first time.

Syed Hamid dismissed criticism that the gathering was an expensive “talking shop” for Malaysia.

“It will help promote trade and investment. And during multilateral gatherings, these countries tend to support Malaysia because we are good friends,” he said.

“At the same time, we have invited Southeast Asian countries. If our neighbours become rich, we can have better trade.”