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Mugabe poisons the wells (SPOT ON, MR. PRESIDENT)***This outburst of anger from Washington is hardly surprising. President Bush has an agenda for Africa which Mugabe's conduct is making ever harder to implement. The only nations that can deal effectively with someone such as Mugabe are African nations. For deep-seated reasons they are reluctant to condemn him.

South Africa's government, in particular, seems unwilling to lift a finger to check Mugabe's inhuman conduct against his own people. Observing this, much of the world is running out of sympathy for the continent. That great emotional stream that poured help into Africa at the time of the Ethiopian famine in 1984-85 has dried up. Some of the charities that serve Africa are finding it hard to attract public sympathy. In short, Mugabe is poisoning the wells of goodwill. He has not only ruined his own country but is on the way to turning much of the world against Africa. America shows us she has a firmer grasp of that sad truth than we do.***

Commonwealth gears up to expel Zimbabwe***The 15-nation European Union, the US, Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand have already imposed targeted sanctions against Mugabe and 72 of his officials over the poll which they have blasted as deeply flawed. In a sign of growing impatience by the international community over Harare's conduct, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner this week said Washington did not recognise Mugabe's presidency and wanted him isolated further. He specifically mentioned Africa's powerhouse South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana as countries he said Washington was working with to isolate Mugabe, in power for the past 22 years.

Pacific Commonwealth nations also ratcheted up the pressure for Zimbabwe's expulsion from the group, demanding at the weekend that the club must act on Zimbabwe as it did on Fiji, which it suspended and slapped with trade sanctions after a coup in May 2000. The 11 Pacific states made the call during their annual Pacific Island Forum held in Fiji.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who heads the Commonwealth troika on Zimbabwe which earlier this year suspended Harare from meetings of the Commonwealth's councils, boldly endorsed the position of the Pacific nations in a move which others said could be a signal of the way the committee would act on Zimbabwe. "The rule book was thrown at Fiji. There is no reason why other countries should be treated more sparingly in a situation like this than Fiji was treated," Howard told journalists after the Pacific nations' meeting.

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo are the other members of the Commonwealth special committee on Zimbabwe. Howard said: "The countries gathered here comprise one fifth of the membership of the Commonwealth so this is no small expression of Commonwealth opinion (on Zimbabwe).***