Posted on 08/15/2002 12:31:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
SUVA, Fiji - Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday it was premature to discuss expelling Zimbabwe from the British Commonwealth but expressed anger at the lack of democratic reforms in the south African nation.
Howard led a three-nation Commonwealth delegation that in March suspended Zimbabwe from the organization's decision-making councils - as a punishment for unfair elections.
The suspension was seen by some as a slap on the wrist for President Robert Mugabe following his victory earlier this year in an election observers said was marred by intimidation of opposition candidates and voters.
Speaking on Australian television from the Fijian capital Suva, where he is attending a summit of Pacific island nation leaders, Howard said Mugabe ignored the suspension.
"I'm very unhappy with Zimbabwe's essentially nil response to the concerns expressed by the Commonwealth," he said.
"There's been no serious attempt by the Mugabe government to engage the opposition, to take any notice of Commonwealth concerns," Howard added.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark arrives in Fiji on Friday and has demanded Zimbabwe's expulsion from the Commonwealth, an organization of Britain and its former colonies, over Mugabe's campaign to drive white farmers off their land.
Howard said he wanted further discussions with the presidents of South Africa and Nigeria - the other two members of the committee that suspended Zimbabwe from Commonwealth councils - before deciding if further action was warranted.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon also is expected to attend the summit.
Clark has said she wants to meet both Howard and McKinnon to express her anger over Mugabe's regime.
"I'll have an open mind as to what other people in the Commonwealth wish to put to me," Howard said. "But, at this stage, it's premature for me to talk about expulsion."
Nigerian president asked to resign - Troika member who joined S. Africa's Mbeki on Mugabe's fate***Summoned from their recess, the 360 members of the lower chamber House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a motion asking the president to step down in two weeks or face impeachment. The resolution, moved by opposition member Mohammed Kumalia, accused Obasanjo of mismanagement, disrespect for the rule of law and nonimplementation of approved budgets. Presidential spokesmen were unavailable for comment.
The gruff former military ruler has survived similar parliamentary actions in the past, but political analysts say the mood in the oil-producing country had changed dramatically amid mounting charges of government corruption. Local elections, the first polls since military rule ended in 1999, were postponed indefinitely last week, raising doubts over presidential and general elections next year.***
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