Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has not been invited to the Franco-African summit which opens on Thursday in Cannes, French officials have said. This marks a change of policy from 2003 when the French government insisted on inviting him to the annual meeting despite international objections.
Mr Mugabe has been accused of human and political rights violations.
A French official said an invitation had been sent to Zimbabwe, which had refused to send someone else. The last time the summit was held in France, in 2003, the French government invited Mr Mugabe, arguing that many African countries had threatened to boycott the summit if he was not present.
The move annoyed other EU members, who pointed to the EU travel sanctions imposed on Mr Mugabe.