CHOGM keeps Pakistan suspended
PM Clark announces at CHOGM the Commonwealth will not lift suspension on Pakistan; Don McKinnon re-elected Sec. Gen.
6 December 2003
The Commonwealth will not lift its suspension of Pakistan despite some democratic progress by President Pervez Musharraf.
Prime Minister Helen Clark has made the announcement at the CHOGM gathering in Nigeria.
She says the Commonwealth will not readmit Pakistan until Musharraf steps down as head of the armed forces and addresses other Commonwealth demands for democratic and judicial reform.
Musharraf has been under fire for rigging last year's parliamentary election by barring key opponents and formalising the military's role in government.
Meanwhile, Don McKinnon has been re-elected for a second four-year term as the Commonwealth's secretary general, despite stubborn opposition from a small number of African countries.
The former New Zealand Foreign Minister was challenged for the post by Sri Lanka's surprise candidate, former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
Mr McKinnon won more than 40 votes from the 52 countries present, with only South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, Sri Lanka and handful of mainly African countries opposing his re-election.
He angered several African countries with his outspoken stance on Zimbabwe's exclusion from the Commonwealth.
© 2010 NZCity, IRN
