Robert Mugabe’s sudden appearance at the ITU telecoms show being held this week in Geneva must have been a considerable embarrassment to most of the event’s organisers. Deflecting the suggestion that his attendance was ‘unheralded’ – the description originally used by Telecom TV, a website – an ITU spokesperson told the Economist Intelligence Unit that the UN agency knew all about his arrival in advance. It seemed most delegates didn’t, however. And the ITU’s failure/reluctance to publicise it was hardly surprising given his notorious reputation.

International sanctions, of course, prevent Mr Mugabe from travelling around Europe at his convenience. Paradoxically, though, he is allowed to attend UN events, and probably grabbed the opportunity to enter Geneva on this pretext, check his Swiss bank account and buy some chocolates for a few Zanu-PF zealots.

What made the ITU look particularly bad was its treatment of Mr Mugabe at the event. They couldn’t stop him from railing idiotically against the West (which, during a ministerial session, he nonsensically blamed for using the airwaves to destabilise Zimbabwe). But did they have to be so courteous? The spectacle of Houlin Zhao, the ITU’s deputy secretary general, graciously leading Mr Mugabe around the exhibition floor left a nasty taste in this attendee’s mouth.

But if the ITU came out of this badly, the behaviour of various government figures was truly disgraceful. Any minister worth his badge would have quit the session to which Mr Mugabe was invited. Disappointingly, a few were seen shaking him by the hand as he entered the room.

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