Protestors gathered in Paris yesterday to mark Robert Mugabe's arrival for the French-African summit.

Mugabe, his wife Grace and their entourage took over 33 rooms in the Plaza Athenee hotel in central Paris.

Their stay will cost more than £10,000 a night, to be paid for by the Zimbabwean government.

Peter Tatchell, the activist who is trying to persuade French judges to arrest the Zimbabwean leader for human rights abuses, was briefly arrested along with 20 other protesters outside the Zimbabwean embassy.

The Sun has produced a special French edition of the paper to be distributed on the streets of Paris, depicting president Chirac as "un ver" (a worm).