Row worsens over Zimbabwe

South Africa wants President Mugabe to attend the summit

Australia and Zimbabwe have exchanged angry words over whether Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe should be invited to a Commonwealth summit meeting in Nigeria in December.

Zimbabwe was suspended from the body last year after Mr Mugabe was re-elected president amid allegations of widespread vote-rigging and continued human rights abuses.

Zimbabwean spokesman George Charamba told Australian radio that "Zimbabwe is not a second-rate member of the Commonwealth", and the Australians were treating them in a condescending manner.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, also on Australian radio, called Zimbabwe a human disaster, and said Zimbabwe should not be allowed to resume participation in Commonwealth affairs until "the disappearance of Mr Mugabe's government".

A spokesman for the Commonwealth, Joel Kibazo, reiterated on Wednesday that as far as he knew, Zimbabwe was not being invited saying it was not common practice to invite suspended countries.

The suspension was extended to December this year after Australia, South Africa and Nigeria - a troika set up by the Commonwealth - said there had been no progress in addressing human rights concerns.

But there is a deep split within the Commonwealth over the approach to Zimbabwe, with Sub-Saharan countries led by South Africa pushing for Mr Mugabe to attend.

South Africa

On Tuesday, South Africa accused Australia of conducting megaphone diplomacy on the issue.

The closure of the Daily News in Zimbabwe has been condemned

A spokesman for President Thabo Mbeki, Bheki Khumalo, told AFP news agency that they would engage with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to ensure President Mugabe received an invitation.

"Invitations to heads of state will be extended by President Obasanjo, not by the Commonwealth," he said.

"Our view is that the Commonwealth imposed the maximum penalty on Zimbabwe by suspending it for one year in March last year.

There has been further condemnation of President Mugabe in recent days after police shut down and then seized equipment from the only privately-owned daily newspaper in the country after it defied tough media laws.

The Daily News is seeking on Wednesday to get the closure overturned and their equipment returned in the High Court on Wednesday