Commonwealth summit wraps up, without Pakistan
KAMPALA (AFP) — Commonwealth leaders called on Pakistan on Sunday to remain engaged with the group as they wrapped up a summit here that saw the suspension of President Pervez Musharraf's country.
Leaders from the 53-nation federation "called on the government of Pakistan to respond positively to the Commonwealth's desire to remain engaged and support the return of democratic government and the rule of law."
They endorsed Thursday's decision by Commonwealth foreign ministers to suspend Pakistan after Musharraf failed within a 10-day deadline to end emergency law despite progress in other areas, a final communique said.
Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3, placing the chief justice under house arrest, detaining lawyers, rights activists and opposition members and curbing press freedoms.
An ultimatum issued on November 12 by the group of mostly former British colonies for Musharraf to repeal measures it described as being in violation of the organisation's core political values expired on Thursday evening.
Islamabad called the suspension "unreasonable and unjustified" and threatened to pull out from the organisation, as Zimbabwe has done.
The heads of government also formally endorsed an action plan on tackling climate change, agreed upon the previous day after intense discussions, ahead of next month's climate change conference on Bali.
Some Commonwealth nations, led by Britain, pushed for the summit to send a recommendation that binding emission cuts be agreed on the Indonesian resort island.
But others, led by Canada and Australia -- at least under the outgoing government -- oppose binding cuts if they fail to include all countries, most notably economic powerhouse China.
The result was no recommendation of binding cuts and in its place a climate change "action plan" trumpeted by Secretary General Don McKinnon as a "very strong political statement."
McKinnon batted off criticism of the statement, saying: "Anyone with a realistic view of world politics would know that this is a step by step by step (eds: correct) process ... (This agreement) was a big step forward."
The Commonwealth represents two billion people, nearly a third of the global total, drawn from the broadest range of religions and cultures, from the world's smallest countries to its largest and from its poorest to its richest.
It also encompasses some of the biggest villains and victims of climate change, from major polluter Australia -- whose outgoing government refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions -- to Tuvalu.
This Pacific Ocean island group, the second lowest nation in the world and home to 10,000 people, could disappear under the waves if melting ice caps and glaciers cause sea levels to rise.
Leaders also called for global trade talks to be concluded swiftly, saying they were vital for the global economy and for development.
They called for the elimination of export subsidies and a reduction in tariffs but said that trade liberalisation must be "appropriately paced" and that trade conditions should show greater responsiveness to the concerns and interests of developing nations.
The leaders also warned that a significant number of developing countries, including many small states, have missed out on the recent worldwide economic expansion, and said that many nations remained saddled with "large and unsustainable" debt burdens.
The grouping also adopted membership criteria for countries wishing to join the Commonwealth, which include former Belgian colony Rwanda.
McKinnon said that any would-be applicant would have to go through an informal process lasting at least six months before starting accession talks in earnest.
"No-one can be formally accepted before the next" heads of government meeting, due to take place in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, he told AFP.
