Split over Zimbabwe decision

Australian PM John Howard (center, at a barbecue dinner) has defended the decision

COOLUM, Australia (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair and New Zealand leader Helen Clark have again both attacked a decision not to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth.

The criticism follows the declaration by delegates at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia against suspension of the African nation -- instead opting to empower a group of three leaders to decide on action after receiving an observers' report of the presidential elections to be held there this week.

The Zimbabwean opposition has also condemned the move, saying it sanctioned a possible "bloodbath'' in the former British colony.

Adding to the fray was Sekai Holland, from the Movement for Democratic Change, who said the decision allowed Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, to continue a campaign of violence and intimidation in the lead-up to the March 9 and 10 poll.

VIDEO Suspension of Zimbabwe's Commonwealth membership is deferred until election observers report. CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports (March 5) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   AUDIO Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon comments on the organizations response 2.25 MB / 3 Min 33 Secs WAV sound   MORE STORIES • Australia under scrutiny over global warming  • AIDS fight targets Asia, Africa  • Commonwealth unites against terror    FOCUS Questioning the relevance of CHOGM  Where are all the protesters?    EXTRA INFORMATION In-depth: Zimbabwe Election 2002    EXTRA INFORMATION What is CHOGM     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition    QUICKVOTE Was the Commonwealth right to delay a decision on sanctions against Zimbabwe until after the election? Yes No View Results

However, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has strongly defended the CHOGM resolution, saying the outcome was the "optimum" result that could be achieved.

Optimum result

Speaking at the conclusion of CHOGM at the Queensland resort town of Coolum on Tuesday, Howard said there clearly was not majority support for suspending the African nation before the elections.

Howard said the mechanism put in place by the Commonwealth meant the Zimbabwe issue could be resolved in a "very public and accountable way."

"This was the optimum that could come out of the meeting given the range of views that were held," he said.

Howard said individual leaders continued to hold their own views on what action should have been taken on Zimbabwe, and were entitled to do so.

He rejected suggestions that the issue had damaged the Commonwealth or that there would be long-lasting repercussions due to the emergence of a "racial divide" at CHOGM over Zimbabwe.

He said suggestions of a racial divide were "a gross distortion of reality."

He said that while the leaders' discussions on Zimbabwe were "strong and passionate", they were always civil.

Commitment to free trade

The CHOGM declaration released Tuesday said the Commonwealth had also determined to materially "strengthen the Commonwealth's capacity to support its members' pursuit of democratic values and the rule of law."

It hoped to achieve this by clarifying the way in which its various groupings, such as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, could go about addressing violations of the Commonwealth's principles.

The other major theme to emerge from the declaration was a commitment to free trade and "generous globalization", particularly concerning the Third World and developing nations, which make up the bulk of the Commonwealth grouping.

Howard, as chairman of CHOGM for the next two years, was keen to promote his personal view that the best assistance that could be provided for impoverished countries was to promote freer trade.

"There is little doubt that more open trade, generically speaking, will do the most to help the less developed countries," Howard said.

Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon said the Commonwealth leaders wanted to see a "spirit of generous globalization move across the Third World".

"If it doesn't, then democracy itself is under threat," he said.

The 2003 CHOGM will be held in Nigeria.