The Ingram Column: The Captains and the Kings go Home Happy
28 November 2005
Derek Ingram - My View
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| The dominant issue was trade and what the Commonwealth could do to influence the outcome of December's World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in Hong Kong |
The CHOGM is over. The captains and the kings have departed. Now come the verdicts. One thing is certain: this was a new-look Commonwealth summit. It was more businesslike than for a long time.
The change of format, with a separate foreign ministers' meeting and a longer Retreat, has produced results.
All the early signs are that the leaders have gone home satisfied, with any doubts about the value and relevance of the Commonwealth dispelled.
The number of heads of state or government attending, at 38, was a little lower than usual, but this was due to several quite unexpected political developments - a government about to be plunged into an election in Canada, domestic political crises in India and Kenya, and a new President in Sri Lanka still forming his government. But all but one ( Nauru ) of the 53 countries were represented, if not by their heads at least by ministers.
The dominant issue was trade and what the Commonwealth could do to influence the outcome of December's World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in Hong Kong .
The result of the long, hard informal debates was what was probably the strongest statement the Commonwealth has ever issued on protectionism. In its sights, perhaps surprisingly, was not the United States , but the European Union (EU) and the now notorious subsidies of the Common Agricultural Policy. Everyone agreed to work towards duty-free and quota-free access for the Least Developed Countries.
The Caribbean countries are deeply angry about the recent EU action affecting their exports of sugar and bananas. President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana and Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados said they would support only a productive outcome in Hong Kong . If it was not forthcoming, they said, they would be prepared to withdraw from the WTO process.
Jagdeo questioned whether Europe was to be trusted. He charged that the UK had actively led the changes in the sugar regime that had added to Guyana 's economic plight.
But the Caribbean countries were pleased with the strong stand on the whole trade issue by the Commonwealth in Malta .
The final communiqué once more reiterated the Commonwealth's commitment democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and in this context it showed that it was not prepared to give ground in its call for Pakistan to separate the roles of Head of State and Chief of Army Staff.
Pakistan is the only member country with a military ruler - General Pervez Musharraf. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group - the watchdog body on democracy and human rights - had lifted the suspension of Pakistan some months ago on the basis that Musharraf would take off his uniform and become a civilian president. He has still not done so.
The Malta communiqué repeated that the holding of the two posts by the same person is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare Commonwealth Principles. It said that until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation will not be irreversible.
The Pakistan Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, was present in Malta - the first CHOGM Pakistan has attended since it was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1999.
This was also a CHOGM in which Commonwealth citizens had a much greater input than ever before.
For two hours, the representatives of civil society organisations put their views and anxieties to more than 30 of the foreign ministers who were meeting separately for the first time and in advance of the heads of government.
They called in their statement for the "continued expansion of spaces for engagement and interaction on Commonwealth matters between government, Commonwealth institutions and civil society through national consultations."
The Business Forum, with more than 600 businessmen taking part, a Commonwealth Youth Forum with 100 young people, a People's Forum and a Human Rights Forum made up the biggest-ever programme of multi-faceted Commonwealth activity.
And all this was organised with success by the smallest country ever to host a Commonwealth summit. Malta 's population: fewer than 400,000.
* The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
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