Africa and Europe's first summit in seven years has ended without agreement on the key issue of trade, dealing a blow to efforts to forge a new economic partnership between the two continents.
More than 70 European and African leaders were also at odds on how to deal with Zimbabwe, which was singled out along with Sudan by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for not respecting human rights.
The two-day summit ended with an ambitious action plan and a promise to meet again in 2010. But the world's largest trading bloc and its poorest continent were at loggerheads over trade, which would be the basis for future economies ties.
The EU is Africa's largest commercial partner, with trade totalling more than €215 billion euros in 2006. But EU officials and businessmen fear growing Chinese investment in Africa could displace Europe from the top spot.
The EU wants to replace expiring trade accords with so-called Economic Partnership Agreements, which anti-poverty groups have criticised for failing to provide protection for Africa's poor farmers and its fragile industry.
Angela Merkel, said EU leaders would discuss trade with Africa at an EU summit on Friday
African Union Commission President Alpha Oumar Konare criticised the handful of interim trade deals signed, while human rights and anti-poverty campaigners said they were disappointed by the meagre results at the summit.
Mugabe issue
The atmosphere at the meeting had already been strained by differences of opinion over how to deal with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
Ms Merkel said Africa's image was being damaged by a lack of resolve to stop human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
African leaders insisted that Mr Mugabe, who is seen by many in Africa as an independence hero, be invited to the summit, prompting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to stay away.
When asked what his message to Europe was, a smiling Mr Mugabe lifted his fist in the air in defiance.
Meanwhile a British archbishop symbolically cut up his clerical collar today and vowed not to wear one again until Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe steps down.
'We need the world to unite against Mr Mugabe and his regime,' said John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, pulling out a pair of scissors and making the dramatic gesture during a live television interview.
Archbishop Sentamu noted that, as a bishop, his stiff white collar 'is what I wear to identify myself, that I'm a clergyman.'
'You know what Mugabe has done? He's taken people's identity, and literally, if you don't mind, cut it to pieces, and in the end there's nothing,' he said, snipping his collar into bits.
'As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to wear a dog collar, until Mugabe's gone,' he told the BBC.
