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Commonwealth discusses measures against Nigeria

LONDON: Commonwealth ministers met in London on Tuesday to discuss what further steps could be taken to bring Nigeria back into line. But Britain seemed set to resist calls for tough economic sanctions against Lagos.

Nigeria, suspended last year after it executed nine human rights campaigners, has sparked anger by barring a Commonwealth mission which planned to discuss how to set the populous African state on to the road to democracy.

The eight-nation Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which ordered the mission to Nigeria, now has to overcome internal divisions about what to do next.

Canada and New Zealand are taking a hardline approach. Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy is pressing for effective economic sanctions while his New Zealand counterpart Don McKinnon says Nigeria could even be expelled.

"The Nigerian regime has no interest at all in the Commonwealth, or membership of the Commonwealth, or the ability to (have) dialogue with the Commonwealth," McKinnon told BBC radio on Tuesday.

"That makes their future position in the Commonwealth very difficult."

But Britain says tough economic sanctions would be of no value unless the United States -- a major purchaser of Nigerian oil -- also took part.

Instead, it wants all Commonwealth nations to adhere to the measures agreed by the European Union, which include an arms ban, suspension of military training, and visa restrictions banning ministers from travelling to Europe.

"We don't feel that Britain or the EU need to do any more at the present time. We need a measured approach. But we will continue to look at the possibility of further measures like asset freezes," said a British official.

Diplomats say some Commonwealth members -- especially those in Africa -- are dragging their feet for fear that they might come under the human rights spotlight next or face retaliatory measures fron Nigeria.

"We need to discuss proper coordination of measures," British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind told reporters ahead of the meeting, due to last one day.

Asked what he felt about the steps taken by Nigeria since its expulsion, he said: "I'm not wildly encouraged, I must say."

Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge, who chairs CMAG, visited Nigeria last week and will report to the meeting.

In public Lagos continues to take a tough line, saying it wants to discuss its suspension from the Commonwealth before letting in the CMAG mission.

"You are dealing with a sovereign state which feels it has been treated unfairly and wants a mechanism to address that unjust treatment," said Uche Okeke, Nigeria's acting high commissioner in London.

"The CMAG is not the kind of mechanism we are looking for," he told BBC radio.

CMAG comprises Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Ghana, Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Any action proposed against Nigeria will be forwarded to the next Commonwealth heads of government meeting to be held in September 1997 in Edinburgh.-Reuter