Third of world's nations expected to condemn terrorism

A meeting next month of British Commonwealth leaders will help build support for the US offensive against terrorism and should go ahead as planned, Australia’s foreign minister Alexander Downer said today.

The Queen and 45 leaders from Britain and its former colonies are due to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), from October 6 to 9 in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state.

In the past week, Downer and Prime Minister John Howard have said there is a risk that the gathering could be called off if the United States and its allies, particularly Britain, begin military action in Afghanistan, or if a number of national leaders pull out.

However, Downer said he had received clear indications that Tony Blair was still coming.

‘‘Tony Blair is very committed to coming to CHOGM and he’s committed to coming to CHOGM because CHOGM does represent a very good opportunity to make a strong statement on terrorism and to consolidate the international coalition against terrorism,’’ he said.

Downer said that as the first major international event since the terror attacks in the United States it could be an important component of a coalition against terrorism.

‘‘I have no doubt that we will be able to persuade the CHOGM leaders to make a strong statement on terrorism,’’ he said.

Encompassing almost all of the British Empire’s former colonies and dependencies, the Commonwealth has 54 member states accounting for 30% of the world’s population.

Members include Britain, Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan, a range of Pacific and Caribbean Island nations and many African states.

Earlier this week a CHOGM official said that Blair had specifically asked that the issue of terrorism be placed on the agenda.

‘‘CHOGM has the ability to put a third of the nations in the world firmly behind the anti-terrorist camp and I think that is quite an admirable thing that could potentially come out of CHOGM,’’ Commonwealth spokesman Andrew Reynolds said.

Earlier, Commonwealth secretary-general Don McKinnon said that none of the 45 leaders due to come had given any sign they wanted to cancel.

‘‘None of them are saying, ‘No, we will not come’ as a result of New York, and they all certainly realise that the issue of terrorism is something that they can address,’’ McKinnon said.

A handful of leaders, including Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, decided before the terror attacks not to attend.