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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Summit Postponed

28 September 2001

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Brisbane, Australia, from 6 to 9 October 2001 has been postponed.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said today that he had been in consultation with leaders across the Commonwealth. These included Jean Chrétien of Canada, Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India, P J Patterson of Jamaica, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, as well as the host, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia. The decision to postpone the summit was taken in the light of the likely absence of a significant number of leaders, due to unforeseen circumstances.

"It is with a huge feeling of disappointment that I announce this decision, a feeling that I know will be shared right across the Commonwealth and beyond," Mr McKinnon said. "CHOGM has been deferred purely for practical reasons. In these uncertain times it is easy to understand the desire of political leaders to be with their own people, in their own countries.

"Prime Minister Howard has told me that the Government of Australia is keen to host this meeting in Brisbane early next year and will be consulting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, in relation to the exact timing. Naturally, I will also consult with other Commonwealth leaders," Mr McKinnon added.

"I wish to thank the Australian Government and people for the enormous effort and resources invested in CHOGM; I am sure that this will not go to waste. I will shortly be discussing with Prime Minister Howard and others the rescheduling of the meeting."





01/62 28 September 2001
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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
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Email: info@commonwealth.int