Chirac rolls out the red carpet for Mugabe

At the Palais des Congrès in one of Paris's more fashionable arrondissements, the red carpet was rolled out with President Jacques Chirac standing at the end of it.

At 9.45am, President Robert Mugabe arrived at the 22nd Franco-African summit in a small black Renault – small cars are now de rigueur at summits.

The arrival of the Zimbabwean President, the pariah of southern Africa, was sandwiched between that of Sam Nujoma of Namibia, one of his best friends, and President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania.

President Mugabe's "grubby handshake'' – as it would be described later in London – was in fact a relatively chilly greeting given M. Chirac's affability with other leaders. M. Chirac wrapped his left hand warmly around Mr Nujoma's palm, but kept it firmly behind his back when it was Mr Mugabe's turn. "We'll have a chance to talk later," seemed to be the French President's only words.

President Nujoma got three bises and President Mkapa got two, plus a joke from the French President.

Two, three, or four bises and even hugs were reserved for a number of men who could be said to be deeply in the monster league. Togo's dictator, Gnassingbe Eyadema (three bises and a 30-second chat), has been in power for 38 years and has just changed the constitution to stay in power. Omar Bongo of Gabon, with three decades of ruthless power behind him, received three bises and what seemed a hilarious joke.

After such a display, M. Chirac's call to the African leaders attending the summit to embrace democracy and end violence on the continent was bound to ring a little hollow. "The days of impunity are over," M. Chirac solemnly informed his guests in his opening speech.

But if the French President was intending to show some sensitivity to British dismay at Mr Mugabe being welcomed in Paris, despite the renewal of EU travel sanctions, it was lost on Britain.

In London the Government made no distinction between a kiss and a handshake. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, sanctioned a strongly worded rebuke for the French leader.

Officials said the Government had received information that desperate Zimbabweans were now having to sell their daughters to buy food.

With Zimbabwe close to economic collapse, ministers were said to be "furious" at the prospect of Grace Mugabe, the President's wife, returning to the stricken country with "crates of luxury goods".

Alan Duncan, a Tory foreign affairs spokesman, said: "This will be marked out as the grubbiest handshake of the year. The thought of Mugabe gorging himself on French food while his people starve is morally repugnant."

In Paris, there was plenty of good food to be gorged on. President Mugabe was welcomed with 36 other African heads of state to a lavish lunch at the Quai d'Orsay palatial headquarters of the foreign ministry, and Mrs Mugabe joined him last night for dinner at the Elysée Palace.

The Zimbabwean presidential couple are staying at the five-star Plaza Athénée Hotel, courtesy of the French government.

And that was how Mr Mugabe and his wife spent the first day of the renewed EU sanctions against them.