Frendo elected CMAG chairman

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo was elected chairman of the Commonwealth Ministers' Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) during the 27th CMAG meeting in New York.

The shared values and traditions of the Commonwealth are reflected in the Harare Declaration of 1991, in which member governments agreed to work together to promote democracy, good governance and fundamental human values, individually and collectively, throughout the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration, which lays down the Commonwealth's fundamental political values.

The group is convened by the Secretary-General and is composed of the Foreign Ministers of eight Commonwealth member countries, supplemented by one or two additional ministerial representatives from the region concerned. It currently includes the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Tanzania.

Their tasks is to assess the nature of the infringement and recommend measures for collective Commonwealth action aimed at the speedy restoration of democracy and constitutional rule. The composition, terms of reference and operation of the group is reviewed every two years.

In its final communiqué after Friday's meeting chaired by Dr Frendo, CMAG repeated its call to Pakistan to separate the office of head of state from that of chief of army staff, once again urging President Pervez Musharraf until next year to resolve the contentious issue.

The ministers also appreciated Pakistan's continued steps towards democratic reform and its positive engagement with the Commonwealth.