Zimbabwe Quits Commonwealth Over Renewed Sanctions

The Commonwealth met in Nigeria over the weekend and issued a number of benchmarks Zimbabwe would have to meet before being reinstated. The recommendations included the possibility of working on a new constitution and allowing opposition parties to have a role in the government.

The Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe in March 2002, after allegations of vote rigging and opposition party harassment during the reelection of President Robert Mugabe. At the time, the group voted to continue sanctions despite resistance from a small but vocal group of African members, including Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said Monday that Western Commonwealth members forced Zimbabwe’s exclusion.

“The Western countries bulldozed the suspension of Zimbabwe partly because of their economic muscle,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “I am very disappointed by that decision and I am disappointed by Zimbabwe’s subsequent decision to pull out.”

Australia, Britain and Canada were among those pushing to maintain the sanctions.

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led a six-nation panel that developed the benchmarks, will monitor Zimbabwe’s progress and report to the Commonwealth when the country is fit to return.

Zimbabwe is suffering its worst political and economic crisis, with rampant inflation and acute shortages of food, gasoline and other essentials, according to the Associated Press.

The 54-member Commonwealth, representing 1.7 billion people, or 30 percent of the world’s population, works toward the advancement of democracy, human rights and sustainable economic and social development.