Government News Index
PM wraps up UK visit
AAP
22mar02
PRIME Minister John Howard was preparing to leave London tonight happy in the knowledge that Australia had played a part in warding off serious damage to the Commonwealth.
Mr Howard met the Queen at Buckingham Palace this afternoon in his last official engagement of his three-day visit.
He was suitably circumspect after the meeting, respecting the protocol which prevents him from disclosing the details of his discussions with Her Majesty.
But it is believed the Queen thanked him for leading the troika of Commonwealth leaders to their decision on Tuesday to suspend Zimbabwe from the councils of the Commonwealth for one year.
"It was a pleasant and courteous and appropriate meeting," was all he would say to reporters outside his London hotel.
But he was more forthcoming when asked to summarise his trip, describing it as a successful one for the Commonwealth.
"I'm very pleased that Australia's been able to play a constructive role," he said.
"I appreciated very much the cooperation that I had from the president of Nigeria and the president of South Africa, and there does seem to be a very positive reaction here that real damage to the Commonwealth was avoided by the very welcome outcome.
"I'm very pleased to have played a role, but more importantly that Australia's played a role."
The visit to London allowed Mr Howard to concentrate his attentions on the world stage rather than on the Heffernan affair at home.
He spent his time in discussions with African leaders and the British government on Zimbabwe's unfair presidential elections and the war on terrorism in Iraq, rather than responding to opposition allegations about his former driver's links to bogus Comcar records used to smear High Court judge Michael Kirby.
But Mr Howard said he was looking forward to getting home, only offering an elaborate shrug when asked if he thought the Heffernan affair was over.
"I'm always happy to get back to Australia. I love the place," he said.
He arrives back in Australia tomorrow morning.