Television footages live in Sharm el-Sheikh-the AU summit venue, showed a confident Mugabe hugging several Presidents and other diplomats.

In his opening remarks, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak skipped the Zimbabwe issue and dwelt mainly on the current crisis in Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia. Critics have termed the move as open hypocrisy, for African leaders to receive Mugabe on a silver platter.

The 11th Ordinary Summit of the African Union with its theme being on water and sanitation, is the first one held in Egypt since the 2002 creation of the African Union previously known as the Organization for African Unity which Cairo played host to three times.

BBC live coverage of the AU summit quoted Gabon President Omar Bongo complimenting Mugabe for his re-election, saying "he was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president".

President Bongo is the longest serving African President. His statement clearly shows the direction in which African dictators want to lead the continent. Other long serving leaders include Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Libyan counterpart Col. Muammar Gadaffi. For them, criticizing Mugabe would be the last thing on their minds.

Numerous calls by Western leaders and diplomats pleading with African leaders to address the Zimbabwe subject hit a snag, as only a handful of leaders condemned Mugabe in hushed tones.

But Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga, an open critic of Mugabe criticized the AU summit for giving Mugabe a ‘heroic’ welcome adding that the continental body should bar Mugabe from the summit

"They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections," Odinga said in Nairobi, Monday adding that the AU would set a dangerous precedent by accepting him as "a duly elected president".

Odinga has since been banned from entering Zimbabwe.

The Ugandan opposition political parties have condemned the tragic leadership of Mugabe and called for the country’s expulsion from the African Union.

The Vice Chairperson of the Uganda People’s Development Party (PDP) Milcha Busingye, was quoted by Ugandan press appealing to African governments to expel Zimbabwe from the continental grouping.

“The UN should also do so as well "because of the grave abuse of human rights by the government of President Mugabe who has made a fair election impossible."

Meanwhile the UN secretary-general Ban KI- Moon said in a statement that conditions were not in place for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe,

"The outcome did not reflect the true and genuine will of the Zimbabwean people or produce a legitimate result," the statement read by his Spokesperson Marie Okabe.

The US is pressing for the Security Council to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.

A  US-drafted UN resolution has urgently called for the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, while rejecting the vote as illegitimate. Other sanctions include freezing of assets and travel bans of all those Zimbabweans individuals and companies who helped Zanu-PF to "undermine democratic processes".


Calls for a unity government

Leaders have unanimously asked Zimbabwe to consider a Government of National Unity. South Africa urged Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the MDC to hold talks towards the formation of a transitional government.


Tanzanian’s President, also the AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete has asked Both Mugabe and Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to emulate Kenya’s Grand Coalition government for the sake of peace and development.

“African countries facing similar situations such as what transpired in Kenya should emulate it (Kenya) in resolving political disputes.

And the chairperson of the AU Commission Jean Ping commended Kenya Government coalition partners for setting exemplary decisions that restored normalcy after the disputed December general elections results.