Fresh Commonwealth bid to suspend Zimbabwe

Commonwealth leaders may set up a heads of government group, which would include the Prime Minister, John Howard, to consider suspending Zimbabwe after it holds elections next weekend.

Others in the group, being discussed at the Commonweath Heads of Government Meeting at Coolum today, would be South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The leaders would be able to suspend Zimbabwe if the election was judged not to be free and fair and not to represent the views of the people.

However, with two African leaders in the group, it could be difficult to get suspension.

Australia and Britain lost the battle for immediate suspension before the leaders assembled. African countries have resented Zimbabwe even being discussed. Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa lashed out yesterday, saying he hoped the retreat discussion would be "balanced enough not to influence the [election] result either way.

"I am hoping that if we discuss or analyse or pass information it will not be aimed at ... rooting for anyone, any one side, because that would be pre-empting the prerogative for sovereign right of the people of Zimbabwe to make an unfettered choice about their leader and their government."

Mr Mkapa said the whole discussion was premature. "The scene is unfolding in Zimbabwe. It is not unfolding in Coolum."

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said her country would have preferred Zimbabwe to have been suspended earlier this year. New Zealand would now want "a very swift review of Zimbabwe's status" after the election.

As soon as leaders met for their first executive session on Saturday, Mr Howard had Zimbabwe referred to the retreat to allow horse trading rather than being dealt with at the full session.

Australia has been trying to have a role retained for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which has dealt with Zimbabwe over recent months. Britain, which is a member of this group, is strongly in favour of suspension.

If the leadership group goes ahead and is confined to the three members suggested, Mr Howard could find himself in a challenging position.

He would be a member of the group because he will be chairman of the Commonwealth until next year's CHOGM. Mr Mbeki is the departing chairman, as well as being leader of an important African neighbour of Zimbabwe.

President Obasanjo has been the leading African player on the Zimbabwe issue.

African leaders disapprove of the violence and breaching of democracy in Zimbabwe, but leaders like Mr Obasanjo have long-time personal links with President Robert Mugabe.

The Zimbabwean Minister for Information, Jonathan Moyo, renewed his country's bitter attack on Britain and its Prime Minister, Tony Blair, accusing him of arrogance and interference.

He said Britain was getting "nervous and desperate" because the Mugabe Government was certain to win the election. Responding to allegations of violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe, he said: "There are more crimes committed in Britain than Zimbabwe. There is more violence in Northern Ireland."

He said Mr Howard was now chairman of the Commonwealth, but the Commonwealth was "our world - all of us - not his, not Canada's, not Britain's."

Australia has sent two extra observers to the Commonwealth election monitoring team - the shadow foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, and Liberal Senator Alan Ferguson.