(Updates with quote, background) HARARE, June 1 (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe has left Zimbabwe to attend a food summit in Rome in his first visit to the West since March 29 parliamentary elections which his ruling party lost to the opposition, state television said on Sunday. Mugabe travelled accompanied by his wife and several senior government officials, it said without giving more details. "President Robert Mugabe has left the country for Rome to attend the Food and Agricultural Organisation summit which starts on Tuesday," it said. Western powers accuse Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, of wrecking the economy of his once-prosperous country and of using violence against his opponents. He faces a June 27 presidentil run-off against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe was in Italy in 2005, when he attended Pope John Paul II's funeral. Mugabe was last in Europe in December for a Commonwealth meeting in Portugal, which British Prime Minister Gordon Brown boycotted to protest the Zimbabwean leader's participation.The EU has a travel ban on Mugabe because of his human rights record, but Portugal lifted the ban for the December summit. Taking place as it does under a United Nations umbrella, the Rome summit would be open to Mugabe. World leaders will meet in Rome June 3-5 summit to discuss global problems caused by rising food prices.
Zimbabwe opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai prays during the funeral of Sherperd Jani, MDC treasurer for Mashonaland East province, in Murehwa, about 80km (50 miles) east of ...
