Furious Mugabe threatens to quit Commonwealth

ZIMBABWE President Robert Mugabe yesterday lashed out at the Commonwealth, repeating threats to pull Zimbabwe out of the organisation after he was barred from attending a summit taking place in Nigeria.

Speaking at the opening of his ZANU-PF party's annual conference, Mugabe also defended his government's seizure of thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to impoverished blacks.

In the speech broadcast on state television, Mr Mugabe accused his critics in the Commonwealth of meddling in Zimbabwe's internal affairs.