Mugabe pursues Commonwealth invite

Obasanjo will not want a huge row over Zimbabwe at the summit

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he is looking forward to attending next month's Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, despite his country's suspension.

Mr Mugabe was speaking in Harare after talks with Nigeria's leader.

President Olusegun Obasanjo said only that he was continuing to consult about whether Zimbabwe should be invited.

Zimbabwe has been suspended since presidential elections last March which Commonwealth observers said were marked by violence and intimidation.

During his visit, President Obasanjo also met opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Press reports suggest Mr Mugabe has lobbied hard to be invited by Mr Obasanjo, who is hosting the summit.

" We must be allowed to attend the CHOGM 2003 in Abuja because we are a full member of the Commonwealth," Mr Mugabe was quoted by the state news agency Ziana as saying.

Earlier, Nigeria said it was seeking evidence to indicate Zimbabwe has addressed human rights concerns.

President Mugabe says Britain and other western governments want to exclude him from the summit because of objections to his land redistribution programme.

On Sunday Mr Obasanjo's spokeswoman Remi Oyo said they could not be definitive on the issue.

"Every new day presents its challenges," she told AFP news agency.

Back door

Nigeria also sits on a special committee on Zimbabwe, alongside South Africa, which favours quiet diplomacy to resolve Zimbabwe's political crisis, and Australia, which has taken a more combative stance against President Mugabe.

Mr Mugabe is furious at his exclusion from the summit

When President Obasanjo last spoke about the issue in September, he said that there would have to be a sea change in Zimbabwe for President Mugabe to be invited.

On Friday the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, said efforts by the Commonwealth to have a dialogue with Zimbabwe had been in vain.

The suspension was extended to December this year after Australia, South Africa and Nigeria said there had been no progress in addressing human rights issues.

Ziana quoted President Mugabe as saying there had been informal talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change "but nothing is formal".

Talks have failed to take place formally since the MDC launched a legal challenge to President Mugabe's election.