March 20, 2002	Wednesday	Muharram 5, 1423

LONDON: Commonwealth pledges to defend democracy across one-third of the globe face a crunch test on Tuesday when the divided organization grapples with its response to Zimbabwe’s hotly disputed elections.

Leaders of a three-nation task force meet in London with a mandate to suspend the southern African country after observers reported serious flaws in President Robert Mugabe’s re-election 10 days ago.

After two years of Commonwealth hand-wringing over how to tackle a campaign of violent land seizures and an election process marred by accusations of harassment and intimidation, the troika face strong pressure to act.

The “old” white Commonwealth members — Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand — have demanded Zimbabwe’s suspension and warned that the credibility of the organisation is at stake.

But they faced strong resistance from African countries at a Commonwealth summit two weeks ago.

A visit to Harare on the eve of the London talks by South African President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo — who along with Australian Prime Minister John Howard make up the Commonwealth task force — suggested that immediate punitive action was unlikely.

“Mbeki and Obasanjo are not going to allow that,” said Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

RELIC OF EMPIRE?: The Commonwealth, mainly former British colonies, embraces almost one-third of the world’s countries. It groups 1.7 billion people and 50 developing nations from Africa, Asia and the Pacific alongside Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Supporters say it offers a platform for talks on poverty eradication, the spread of AIDS and the promotion of democracy.

But the deep splits over Zimbabwe have ignited a debate over the role of the organisation. Critics say it is a redundant relic of the British empire, a difficult mix of industrialised and developing nations with sharply diverging priorities.

Even its members struggle to make a convincing case.

Eleven years ago, at a meeting which critics wryly note was hosted by Mugabe, the Commonwealth pledged to enshrine “the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, just and honest government (and) fundamental human rights”.

It backed that up by suspending Nigeria in 1995 after the execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who led a campaign against the military government.

But Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, a former New Zealand foreign minister, has conceded that the group could at best be awarded a “D minus” over its handling of Zimbabwe.

“As the troika...meet in London, they have a huge responsibility to themselves and to the wider African community,” Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore said on Tuesday.

“Not that Commonwealth suspension is the worst threat on earth — it is unlikely to topple Mugabe,” he said. “What is much more important is the signal it would send out.”

Prince Charles, son and heir of the Commonwealth’s titular head Queen Elizabeth, has said it is “drinking in the last chance saloon” because of its failure to act so far on Zimbabwe.

“If the Commonwealth could not stand up for liberal democracy and human rights, it deserved to be treated with international contempt,” Charles was quoted as saying last week.

Britain’s foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has also warned that the organization’s credibility is on the line.—Reuters