M A I N   N E W S

Commonwealth faces split
Zimbabwe draws flak over rigging charge

South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, left to right, pose for a photograph before lunch at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Coolum, Australia, on Sunday. — AP/PTI photo

Coolum (Australia), March 3
Commonwealth nations split along black-white lines over whether to take action against Zimbabwe today, with African states opposing suspension calls by Britain fearing a return to neo-colonialism, Australia said.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who has backed calls for action against Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe over claims that he is rigging this week’s presidential election, said the African states had joined forces to protect one of their own.

“There is very much a regional view in Africa that they want to do a certain amount to protect a fellow country,” Mr Downer said on the sidelines of the Commonwealth leaders summit here.

“Africa was colonised by Europeans. Africans, as time went on, grew to resent and despise that colonisation...And there is still that very strong sense that Britain and other countries (are) sometimes being neo-colonialist,” he told the Australian television.

Mr Mugabe has been accused of vote rigging, political intimidation and violence in the lead up to the March 9-10 presidential election.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai poses the biggest threat to Mr Mugabe since he came to power 22 years ago when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain.

The Commonwealth, largely a group of former British colonies, has been under pressure to follow the USA and the European Union to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.

One-third of the 54 Commonwealth members are African states.

On the second day of their summit, Commonwealth leaders met in a retreat to try and reach a compromise on Zimbabwe, but they look set to take no action.

Reflecting on the African opposition to punitive action against Mr Mugabe, Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said any action before the election would be premature.

But British Prime Minister Tony Blair said here on Sunday that he thought there was enough evidence of violations of democracy to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth now.

Yet Mr Blair conceded his call for action had fallen on deaf ears. “Other countries don’t agree and you need unanimity at the Commonwealth,” Mr Blair told the Australian television. Reuters