Pakistan Suspension Tops Agenda at Commonwealth Summit

Pakistan is expected to be suspended from the Commonwealth at a meeting of the the organization's foreign ministers in Kampala, Uganda, today following talks last night between Gordon Brown and President Pervez Musharraf.

Brown made a final plea for Pakistan's president to lift the state of emergency so that free and democratic elections scheduled for January 9 can go ahead, but it appears he did not feel the assurances were sufficient.

The prime minister has also held talks with the US president, George Bush, this week in an effort to maximize and coordinate the pressure on Musharraf's regime.

The main issue of discussion at the foreign ministers' meeting in Kampala is likely to be the terms of Pakistan's re-entry, rather than whether it should be suspended.

UK officials indicated that they had seen some small signs of progress in recent days for a return to normality, but that they had to uphold the values of the Commonwealth.

As Brown headed for Uganda from London for the biennial Commonwealth summit, which is due to be formally opened by the Queen today, he said he was "gravely concerned" by developments in Pakistan.

"We have to cooperate closely with Pakistan on economic and political reforms, counter radicalization and vital regional issues," he said.

But Brown said he was in no doubt about the strength of feeling in the international community about the curtailment of democratic freedoms.

"I welcome the action he [Musharraf] has started to take to return Pakistan to normality, including setting an election date. He has assured me he will do his utmost to lift the state of emergency in time for free and fair elections to be held and to give up his military role and responsibilities as soon as possible.

"I have also called on him to release remaining political detainees and to fill restore press freedoms."

But he also insisted that the 53-nation Commonwealth's values were built around democracy. Pakistan was first suspended from the Commonwealth for five years after Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, but was then readmitted on condition he took off his uniform.

The Pakistan government has urged the Commonwealth to delay a decision and send a delegation to Islamabad to see the scale of the crisis, and the measures being taken to release the judiciary and political prisoners.

The tone of British officials was firm, but privately they accept suspension is not the biggest threat the Musharraf regime has faced in recent days. However, it is potentially a potent propaganda weapon for his political opponents.

Brown said he hoped to see progress on five fronts at the Commonwealth summit, covering the issues of economic development, climate change, spreading education in Africa, and extending peace-keeping powers.

The Commonwealth covers one third of the world's population, and with Brown's long-standing interest in the development of Africa, he does not regard the summit as an irrelevant sideshow.

At the same time, he must be relieved to be spending some time away from the disastrous ream of domestic events that have seen his personal popularity plunge.

Even Blairite strategists do not predict a sea change in British politics as a result of the current political crises, but they feel Brown needs to focus on small, specific goals.

Their focus groups suggest there has been no fundamental shift to David Cameron, but that Brown has not yet made the full transition to the role of prime minister in the public mind.