zimbabwe: War of words over Mugabe summit ban

The Commonwealth is divided by a blistering row over Zimbabwe after South Africa bluntly told Australia to stop trying to prevent President Mugabe attending its December 5 summit meeting in Nigeria. South Africa accused John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, of using “mega-phone diplomacy” after he announced that he had received assurances from Nigeria that Mr Mugabe would not be invited to the biannual meeting of 54 mostly former British colonies.