Blair Winds Up Africa Farewell Tour With Mbeki Meeting

Prime Minister Tony Blair will hold talks with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, today on the final day of his farewell tour of the continent.

The prime minister arrived at government headquarters to a 19-gun salute and full guard of honor, for talks on the crises in Zimbabwe and Darfur, and the upcoming Group of Eight summit of industrial leaders.

Mr Blair made Africa the focal point of Britain's presidency of the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 - though critics say many of the promises made during that time have not been honored.

In a speech to the University of South Africa yesterday, the outgoing prime minister said there remained "much more" for the G8 to do to help Africa's poor, including helping the continent to build up the infrastructure needed to deliver essential services.

Mr Blair also called for measures to help local businesses alongside aid, and removing "distorting" protective trade barriers to give African states an equal footing in Western markets.

But he also said African leaders must take tougher action against Sudan - where the government is accused of backing militias responsible for the mass killings in Darfur - as well as Zimbabwe, where the president, Robert Mugabe's, policies have led to economic and social collapse and political repression.

Mr Mbeki, the African mediator on Zimbabwe, has stuck to his policy of quiet diplomacy toward Mr Mugabe, even though this has failed to persuade the 83-year-old leader to embrace political or economic reforms.

But Britain - Zimbabwe's former colonial master and its most strident critic - wants Mr Mbeki to do more to pressure Mr Mugabe into change.