Zimbabwe escapes Commonwealth ban

Commonwealth foreign ministers have rejected a call by Britain for the suspension of Zimbabwe from the 54-nation organisation.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had urged the suspension over President Robert Mugabe's crackdown on opponents and the media prior to presidential elections on March 9-10.

Instead the eight-member Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, the organisation's democracy watchdog, publicly rebuked Mugabe.

In a statement after a day of talks in London the group "expressed its deep concern over the continued violence, political intimidation and actions against the freedom and independence of the media."

The ministers demanded an immediate end to the "violence and intimidation" in Zimbabwe and called for all parties in the March presidential elections to be allowed to campaign freely.

VIDEO CNN's Robin Oakley reports that despite their disgust with Zimbabwe, Commonwealth ministers refuse to heed Britain's suggestion to suspend the country's membership (January 30) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

CMAG also said it would draw up as yet unspecified recommendations to Commonwealth leaders on the eve of their summit meeting from March 2-5 in Australia.

At that Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) ministers will be able to consider a range of options from "simple disapproval" of Zimbabwe right up to Commonwealth suspension before the elections are over.

Britain, Australia and Canada have been Zimbabwe's most vocal critics in CMAG. The other five members -- Botswana, Barbados, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Nigeria -- have been more cautious.

Speaking after the meeting at Marlborough House, London, Straw said: "The overall result is less than we hoped but more than we expected."

Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon said if the group had taken the "easy" option of suspending Zimbabwe six to 12 months ago it would now have no leverage over President Mugabe.

Straw said: "What we have done today is to set down the most concrete benchmarks by which the conditions in which the elections in Zimbabwe are able to take place, with an overriding imperative -- even at this late stage -- of trying to secure as free and fair elections as is possible."

Earlier this week Mugabe responded to an EU demand for election observers to be admitted by the weekend, or face sanctions, by appearing to agree to a team being sent as long as it did not include Britain.

In Harare on Wednesday Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party tried to speed passage of a tough media bill criticised for giving "frightening powers" to curb a free press.

ZANU-PF convened a special caucus meeting to press members to close ranks and ensure the bill's passage after weeks of delay due to internal wrangling -- even many of Mugabe's own party opposing it.

ZANU-PF chief whip Joram Gumbo was unavailable for comment, but sources told news agencies meetings on the media bill were still taking place as parliament debated a rural electrification bill.

On Tuesday, parliament's legal committee, which is dominated by ZANU-PF, slammed the media bill as a threat to free speech and said it gave the government "frightening powers" to control the press ahead of the presidential poll.

The proposed Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill would restrict access for foreign reporters and force local journalists to register with a state commission. Reporters could face prison terms for breaking media regulations.

Police confirmed that three journalists working for independent Zimbabwean newspapers had been arrested and could be charged for unlawful protest under a new security act signed into law by Mugabe earlier this month.

The three were among 40 journalists who marched outside parliament, waving placards saying: "Zimbabwe is a free country. We don't need laws that remind us of the days of Rhodesia."

The Public Order and Security Act outlaws criticism of the president and gives police sweeping powers to ensure order.

Parliament has also passed electoral amendments which ban independent election monitors and deny voting rights to millions of Zimbabweans abroad.

ZANU-PF controls 93 of the 150 seats in parliament, but it has struggled to push the media bill through in the face of opposition within the party.