AFRICA/AUSTRALIA: African states closed ranks behind Zimbabwe yesterday, as white members of the Commonwealth tried in vain to suspend the country during a meeting of the organisation in Australia.
With Britain calling for Zimbabwe to be suspended, Zimbabwe accused the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, of trying to recolonise Africa. "Mr Blair should shut up," the Zimbabwe Information Minister, Mr Jonathan Moyo, said. "It is obvious to anyone who has been following this problem that there is racism involved in the matter."
Australia, which backs Britain, said the Commonwealth had split on white-black lines. African states, making up one third of the 54-member body, have united behind President Robert Mugabe.
"There is this whole notion of Africans protecting themselves against the criticism of countries outside," Australian Foreign Minister Mr Alexander Downer said.
The issue of Zimbabwe was always going to dominate the summit, but the heated debate yesterday almost drowned out other issues, such as climate change and the fight against HIV-AIDS.
The tiny South Pacific island state of Tuvalu made an impassioned plea for large polluters, such as Australia, to take a tougher stance against global warming which threatens low-lying island nations as rising temperatures cause ocean waters to rise.
A report on HIV-AIDS revealed that Commonwealth states, among the world's poorest, had 60 per cent of the world's cases and were struggling to combat the deadly disease in the face of cultural taboos and prejudices. An estimated one in nine South Africans are infected, five million people.
Mr Mugabe has been accused of orchestrating a campaign of political intimidation and violence ahead of next weekend's poll.
The opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, poses the biggest threat to Mr Mugabe since he came to power 22 years ago when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain.
The Commonwealth has been under pressure to follow the US and EU and impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.
On the second day of their March 2nd-5th summit, Commonwealth leaders met to try to reach a compromise on Zimbabwe, but looked set to take no action.
Australia said opposition to action by the African states was being fuelled by the region's colonial past.