MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Commonwealth defers leaders' meeting.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting due to start in the Australian city of Brisbane next Friday has been cancelled because key leaders cannot attend.
The meeting was to have been the first major gathering of world leaders, including U.K. prime minister Tony Blair and India's prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, since the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.
CHOGM secretary-general Don McKinnon cited "these uncertain times" and the desire for political leaders to stay close to home as the reasons for the cancellation.
In a statement, McKinnon said it was with a "huge feeling of disappointment" that CHOGM had been deferred "purely for practical reasons".
Deferred until at least 2002The meeting has been deferred until at least next year. It is understood security in Australia was not an issue. Rather, key participants were reluctant to make the long journey to Australia at a time of uncertainty.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited the CHOGM site in Brisbane Friday morning, just before the announcement by McKinnon. McKinnon said Howard was still keen to host the meeting next year.
The Commonwealth is made up of 54 nations and 1.7 billion people, or about 30 percent of the world's population. The 2001 CHOGM to have been held in Brisbane was expected to draw 46 leaders.
The postponement leaves the way clear for Howard to call an early national election, as it means Queen Elizabeth will now not be in Australia in October.
Political observers suggest Howard will now go for a November 10 poll date. Howard has been well behind Labor leader Kim Beazley in opinion polls for much of this year, but Howard's Liberal-National Coalition government is now favored to win.
Support for the Coalition has surged since Howard's tough line on asylum seekers and the September 11 terror attacks. Source: News Agencies.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesCommenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!