Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- European and African leaders agreed to strengthen ties between the two continents, at a summit marked by disagreements over international trade and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

The two-day European Union-Africa summit in Lisbon, the first such meeting in seven years, was attended by leaders or representatives of the 27 EU members and over 50 African states.

``We have come together in awareness of the lessons and experiences of the past, but also in the certainty that our common future requires an audacious approach,'' the leaders said in a final declaration after signing a strategic partnership accord. They said they had created ``a comprehensive and effective follow- up mechanism.''

The two sides promised to hold another summit in 2010. While promising to work together more closely in the future, the EU and African leaders meeting in Lisbon disagreed on trade treaties and the stature of Zimbabwe's Mugabe as an African leader.

``I want it to be clear that Africa refuses'' the current European trade proposals, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade told a press conference today. ``We want to have a rapport, but we have to define this together.''

Trade Agreements

A series of preferential trade agreements between the EU and 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries is due to expire at the end of the year. The EU is pressing Africa for adoption of new economic partnership agreements, which are often referred to as EPAs and cover trade in agricultural and industrial goods, services, investment regulations and competition policy.

``We've been negotiating for months,'' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters. ``We must certainly see if Europe can be more flexible and if Africa can be more flexible.''

While Botswana opposes the EU's proposals to include services in the treaties, it is concerned protracted talks will result in its beef farmers losing market access, Mopati Merafe, the country's foreign minister said.

``We would be very unhappy if no agreement was reached by Dec. 31, which would result in the termination of our preferences for beef,'' he said. ``We are the biggest exporter of beef to Europe. We have to secure our beef market.''

Some analysts expressed doubt on whether the non-binding partnership agreement signed today can yield concrete results.

``The major problem will be the implementation,'' said John Kotsopoulos, an Africa expert at the Brussels-based European Policy Centre, adding: ``The jury's still out on whether it will be able to change things.''

Dollar a Day

About two in five Africans live on less than a dollar a day, and the continent needs to boost investment and aid levels to trim their ranks. Africa's increasingly close ties with China and India have given it more clout in negotiating the terms under which it secures assistance from the EU.

``Now there is competition for African resources, competition for influence on the continent,'' Romy Chevallier, an analyst at the Institute for International Affairs in Johannesburg said in a telephone interview. ``It gives Africa the opportunity to decide what partner it wants, how it wants to engage.''

Trade issues weren't the only divisive issue on the conference agenda.

African leaders insisted Mugabe be allowed to attend, prompting Portugal to make an exception to an EU travel ban on the Zimbabwean leader and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to boycott the meeting. Merkel told the summit Mugabe ``damaged the image of the new Africa.''

Merkel's comments reflected the views of all the EU's 27 member nations, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said in an interview yesterday.

``We cannot accept the political leaders'' of Zimbabwe, he said. ``We are very unsatisfied with the situation.''

`Arrogant' Europeans

Mugabe hit back at what he termed ``arrogant'' European countries for criticizing his human rights record, said Deputy Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho in an interview.

``He said his country was being attacked by `Gordon's Gang of Four' -- Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden,'' said Cravinho. ``Mugabe said it didn't matter that Brown boycotted the meeting because the Gang of Four was his mouthpiece,'' added Cravinho.

Zimbabwe is in its ninth year of recession, has the world's highest inflation rate and is facing widespread shortages of fuel, food and other commodities. African leaders have been loath to criticize Mugabe, 83, viewed by some as an icon in the struggle against colonial rule.

Senegal's Wade said people were not properly informed about the situation in Zimbabwe.

``The true information unfortunately has not been provided,'' he said.

``Life should not come to a standstill simply because there are problems in Zimbabwe,'' Botswana's Merafe said. ``We don't want any condescending attitude in dealing with Africa.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Mike Cohen in Lisbon at mcohen21@bloomberg.net; Leon Mangasarian in Lisbon at lmangasarian@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 9, 2007 11:02 EST