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Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Thursday that concern was growing among leaders of Commonwealth countries about Zimbabwe’s land-reform programme and warned of a possible review of the country’s membership of the organisation, Reuters reported. “There is no doubt that what is happening in Zimbabwe is unacceptable,” Howard told Australian radio. “It has to change otherwise people are entitled to look at Zimbabwe’s continuing association with the Commonwealth.”
Heads of government of the 54 Commonwealth countries, mostly former British colonies representing 1.7 billion people, will meet in Brisbane in Queensland on 6-9 October. The Commonwealth has suspended Fiji and Pakistan’s membership following coups there and concern over their commitment to democratic standards and the rule of law.
Howard said members of the Commonwealth shared a commitment to the rule of law and parliamentary processes. “That is why we get concerned when those processes are interrupted in countries like Zimbabwe,” he said.
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