Zimbabwe overshadows summit start

BBC News - Africa ^ | December 5, 2003

[Clive]

Box Quote:

The key thing is to maintain the suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth, as that will send a strong signal of disapproval

Tony Blair

[Clive]

-

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Strengthen up your backbone, Tony. Stay the course.

[cyborg]

Mugabe... buh bye

Next South Park movie should have a Satan, Mugabe and Saddamy threesome

[GeronL]

This whole Commonwealth thing should just end. Its really pointless.

[cyborg]

Like the UN?

[GeronL]

Exactly

[cyborg]

I like idea of commonwealth. My mother was a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago when it was a British colony. Now it is a member of the commonwealth, and many citizenry like it that way.

Some commonwealth nations:
Commonwealth Nations (Trivopaedia)
Author: Tim Constantine
Posted: 07/14 10:46 PM

Antigua & Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brunei
Cameroon
Canada
Cyprus
Dominica
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
India
Jamaica
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Malawi
Malasia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Nauru
New Zealand
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent & Grenadines
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Swaziland
Tanzania
Tongo
Trinidad & Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
Vanuatu
Western Samoa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
(Nigeria suspended 1995)


The above was taken from Trivopaedia for Palm OS. For more information, please see http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/trivopaedia.htm.

[cyborg]

Too many bad apples can ruin a good bunch. Probably is that commonwealth group is filled with haters of England, and their leaders cherish communism and blood letting more than civilization. I hope it does not go the way of the UN where the number of 'right thinking' countries can be counted on two hands.

[GeronL]

What does a Commonwealth do??

[hoot2]

"...with arguments over Zimbabwe's suspensions likely to dominate talks. "

is this accurate? won't the $$$billions for aids that kofi n nelson are trying to latch onto,
get the attention of others who would like a chunk of that change?

[cyborg]

From the Fiji government website...
COMMONWEALTH IMPORTANT- STUDENTS TOLD
March 11th, 2003

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau told students in the audience at yesterday's (March 10) Commonwealth Day celebrations in Suva to learn as much as possible about the Commonwealth.

Ratu Epeli said the Commonwealth will be invaluable to Fiji’s future development and the younger generations would do well to familiarise themselves with it.

“As a country, Fiji can not survive on its own. It needs special relationships it enjoys with bodies like the Commonwealth and it’s member countries, and with other international bodies like the United Nations and the European Union in order to sustain economic and social development for all her citizens” he said.

Ratu Epeli said as future leaders it falls on the students to ensure that this relationship and our membership of the Commonwealth is maintained and further developed.

"It is therefore important that you understand the role and functions of the Commonwealth and Fiji’s History in her relations with the Commonwealth,” he said.

The Commonwealth Day celebrations were made possible by a grant from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretariat in London and donations from the Australian and New Zealand High along with generous contributions from business houses, school communities and individuals.

*** Former English colonies getting together, and keeping ties with England makes practical sense. I also attach more personal, family reasons for commonwealth and why I like it. It's all part of keeping the wonderful ties,roots to the 'mothercountry' and all the traditions. HOWEVER, for some reason many African leaders have not really embraced this concept much their detriment.

[cyborg]

From factmonster.com...
The purpose of the Commonwealth is consultation and cooperation. The sovereign members retain full authority in all domestic and foreign affairs, although Britain generally enjoys a traditional position of leadership in certain matters of mutual interest. There are economic ties in the fields of trade, investment, and development programs for new nations. A set of trade agreements (begun at the Ottawa Conference in 1932) between Britain and the other members gave preferential tariff treatment to many raw materials and manufactured goods that the Commonwealth nations sell in Britain, but the system of preferential tariffs was abandoned after Britain's entry into the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973. Periodically there are meetings of Commonwealth heads of government, but no collective decision made at these meetings is considered binding. In 1965 a Commonwealth secretariat was established, with headquarters in London.

See also British Empire.

[GeronL]

OKay, thats all fine and dandy. But what does a commonwealth DO?? Besides let them cheat on free trade by buddying up to the exclusion of others?

[GeronL]

Sounds like the EU and the Commonwealth are going to be unable to get along. The UK has to choose between its firends, including the US, and the next Reich.. I've lost count on those.

[cyborg]

Like everything else, it's beginning to degenerate into money and nasty politics. Personally, I think they need to suspend more African countries or kick them out. Some people think commonwealth is about the British keeping their foot on the neck of its former colonies (I disagree). Commonwealth seems to be more like powerball lotto though.

[GeronL]

So its a Club?

[cyborg]

pretty much... but in doing a google about commonwealth I see it's not what it used to be. Getting infested with too much African communist leaders, I hate to say.

[GeronL]

We need to start a Commonwealth of Free Democratic Nations.

I guess I'll be hitting the sack if something BIG doesn't happen....

[cyborg]

Actually that's not a bad idea. Such a group as an alternative to the UN membership would be welcome I am sure.

:yawn: I think I'll go to sleep too. Commies are boring me.