Editorial

Malta - one of the smallest states in the Commonwealth - can truly hold its head high after successfully hosting the largest ever gathering of foreign heads of state and government in its history. This on top of a four-day state visit by Queen Elizabeth II (her fourth since her accession to the throne, all of 53 years ago) and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Barring unlikely last-minute hitches, the organisation of the Malta Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which drew the largest participation in CHOGM's history, has won favourable comments from all those who took part - delegation members, media personnel, observers.

The same applies to Her Majesty's visit, which was not only a nostalgic revisiting of an island which she came to know so well as a naval officer's wife from 1949 to 1951, but also an affirmation of the close ties which continue to bind this island to Britain and of the affection which the Maltese and Gozitans - for 31 years now citizens of the Republic of Malta - still have for their former monarch.

There has been a tremendous effort by all those involved in the organisation of the two events, especially their security aspect, where every precaution seems to have been taken against the possibility of any threat, no matter how remote, to the safety of the visiting foreign leaders and particularly of the Queen.

One should also express satisfaction at the active participation in the three forums on the periphery of CHOGM - the youth, people's and business forums - where no doubt many useful contacts were established and joint initiatives discussed. In particular, in view of the oft repeated argument that poverty in third world countries (which include many Commonwealth states) cannot be successfully tackled unless trade barriers to third world products come tumbling down, the feeling seems to have gained ground among CHOGM participants that this body of former British colonies should do more to promote trade among its members.

The hope of bringing about a fairer world trade regime was expressed by Don McKinnon, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, in his speech at CHOGM's opening session on Friday. After all, the Commonwealth represents a third of the world's population (India alone is a market of over one billion consumers) and its member states should therefore carry enough clout in the World Trade Organisation.

As Her Majesty, the head of the Commonwealth, noted in her address at CHOGM's opening, "collectively, we can be strong and effective".

But it is not only on a fairer world trade regime that the Commonwealth can - and should - make its voice heard. To quote the Queen again, "Determined and collective action can also help us tackle other challenges that cannot be addressed alone, such as the scourge of terrorism, which is a threat to us all."

Dr Gonzi, the host of the Malta meeting, referred to two other examples of these "other challenges" in his brief address at the opening of CHOGM: the impelling need of many people in the underdeveloped world to escape from poverty and the literal expression of that need - mass migration - of which this little island of ours has experienced more than its fair share this year.

All four issues - fairer world trade, international terrorism, poverty and mass emigration - point to the need for greater justice in the world, which will not come about unless all nations realise that in a truly globalised economy there is no room for short-sighted protectionism since this can only benefit individual nations in the short term. Still less can any nation go it alone in the war against international terrorism.

The Commonwealth, as a club of 53 nations covering the whole spectrum from industrialised nations, to developing and under-developed states, is in an excellent position to put these principles into practice.

Through its various development programmes, designed to promote education, information technology, enterprise and initiative in its less privileged member states, the Commonwealth is on the way to bridging the huge gaps between North and South and eliminating the root causes of much that is wrong with the world today.

May the Malta CHOGM stimulate its participants to follow up the thoughts, ideas and suggestions expressed during and around the summit and translate them into concrete action. Even if only one such meaningful idea were to take root, the Malta meeting would be considered to have been a success - and that is besides the organisational aspect, of course - but surely the participating nations could bring themselves to do more than that.