Blair praises Howard's stance

John Howard and Tony Blair spoke for 40 minutes

Tony Blair has held talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and praised him for standing firm on Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's one-year suspension from the Commonwealth has been welcomed by European leaders.

Mr Howard was one of a three-man Commonwealth team which opted for suspension following Zimbabwe's controversial presidential elections.

The wood was on us to do the right thing

John Howard

Mr Howard spoke to Mr Blair at Downing Street just hours after Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was charged with treason for allegedly plotting the assassination of Robert Mugabe.

Following the 40-minute meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister... welcomed the outcome of the meeting of the Commonwealth troika, for having taken the difficult but necessary decision to suspend Zimbabwe."

The troika also included South African president Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.

Clear mandate

Mr Howard also held talks with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Before that meeting, he said: "We had a very clear mandate from the Commonwealth meeting and 'the wood was on us' to do the right thing.

"That's good because the moral authority of the Commonwealth has been maintained."

Mr Howard said he was concerned at news of Mr Tsvangirai's arrest this morning and reconciliation could not take place in those circumstances.

"I would hope that wiser, saner, more intelligent counsels will prevail," he said.

Mugabe's isolation

Meanwhile, Mr Obasanjo told the BBC World Service's Newshour: "The problem of Zimbabwe is the reconciliation, revival of the economy, the shortage of food."

Mr Straw said President Mugabe had tried to avoid suspension from the Commonwealth "at all costs".

He added: "He has been worried from the start about isolation from the councils of the Commonwealth."

Mr Blair also congratulated Mr Howard on his handling of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Queensland earlier this month, said the Downing Street spokesman.

He added: "They also had a wide-ranging discussion of international affairs, including the situation in Afghanistan, where both Australia and the UK have troops on the ground."