Commonwealth Leaders Gather in Malta, Focus on Fair Trade Prior to WTO Meeting

Leaders from all fifty-three members of the Commonwealth have flown into the Mediterranean island of Malta Nov. 24th for a twice-yearly meeting.

|PIC1|The meeting is likely to be dominated by issues of trade and terrorism. Already it has become apparent that representatives have expressed their anger that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is failing to deliver for poor nations, a top official from the group announced on the eve of the summit.

Even though talks will be directed towards trade and terrorism, it has been rumoured that some may also face questions on human rights, reported Secretary General Don McKinnon.

Foreign ministers have spent two days preparing for the closed-door talks, and McKinnon told that the summit will unite with the aim of sending an powerful and unanimous message to the WTO that it must produce fairer trade deals for poorer nations.

As the WTO talks are set to take place in December McKinnon stated, “Most of us are saying that we are really getting very angry with the lack of ambition that has come into that round in more recent times.”

“Too many people in Geneva or Brussels are saying it's time a lot of developing countries lowered their expectations. I don't think they intend to lower their expectations.”

|PIC2|It is believed that a number of countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are looking to use the summit to add pressure to western leaders, and in particular Prime Minister Tony Blair, to use his position as the current president of the European Union to urge the EU nations to cut farm subsidies. They hope he can do this as part of a deal in Hong Kong that would see markets for poorer countries’ exports open up.

However, despite previous efforts by Blair and Peter Mandelson, to carry forward these plans, large resistance has been seen from various EU countries, and in particular France has been leading the opposition to any such moves.

McKinnon explained how developing countries have missed out in previous rounds of talks, and he urged the world saying that Hong Kong must deliver. He said, “I know this is one issue that the leaders will be very united on.”

The 53 Commonwealth leaders represent approximately 1.8 billion people, which is 30% of the world’s population, and they will also discuss plans to tackle terrorism and illegal immigration.

However, human rights and democracy have come out as other mainstream agendas up for discussion in some of the Commonwealth nations. McKinnon expressed that he would be looking to raise the subject with the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, who is due to play host to the Commonwealth Summit in 2007.

|PIC3|A number of leading human rights campaigners have called for Uganda to be suspended from the group instead of being given the honour of hosting the meeting, report Reuters. Concerns have arisen after reports have come out of the country that the government is suppressing the media and opposition parties ahead of the nation’s general elections in march 2006. Museveni is desperately keen to extend his 20-year rule beyond 2006, report Reuters.

Areas of concern that have come out are that Ugandan opposition leader, Kizza Besigye faces court martial after he was accused of treason and other offences.

In addition, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsuen Long may be questioned by the Commonwealth leaders regarding a statutory death sentence that was given to an Australian citizen found guilty of heroin smuggling. However, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has commented that he has no plans to raise the issue at the gathering.

The Harare Declaration is a set of democratic principles that all Commonwealth members are supposed to abide by, and they insist on the rule of law as well as independent judicial systems. However, controversially the principles do not ban capital punishment.

Zimbabwe, where the principles were signed in 1991, quit the organisation in 2003 after being suspended after being found to have failed upholding the principles in a number of key areas.

|AD|Pakistan was also suspended in 1999 when General Parvez Mesharraf took power in the coup. However, it was reinstated in May 2004, but the President remains under great pressure from the Commonwealth to step down from his role as chief of army staff.

At the beginning of this month, Christians across the UK gathered in a mass lobby of Parliament in London calling for trade justice.

The huge campaign had been timed to add pressure to a gathering of Trade Ministers from the 25 EU nations on 21-22 November meeting for the last time to finalise the EU’s negotiating position for the crucial trade talks at the WTO in Hong Kong in December.

Despite unprecedented pressure, world leaders have thus far failed to deliver the urgent action required for a just world trade system, report Christian Aid. Campaigners, however, remain determined to push for change.

Over 600,000 people in the UK have already added their support to the Vote for Trade Justice, a special ballot calling on the Government to urgently deliver a just trade deal for the world’s poor.

Her Majesty the Queen is set to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Nov. 25th, 2005 in Valletta, Malta.