Michael Frendo nominated for Commonwealth top job

The Maltese government has nominated Foreign Minister Michael Frendo as candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

A copy of a letter by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to all Commonwealth heads of state and of government and to Commonwealth Secretary General Donald McKinnon announcing Malta's nomination was circulated to all Commonwealth High Commissions in London yesterday.

Dr Gonzi, who is at present Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth, said in his letter that Dr Frendo's candidature was proof of Malta's commitment towards the important international role of the Commonwealth.

Contacted by The Times after the government announced his nomination, Dr Frendo said: "I consider this nomination to be a great honour and further proof of Malta's commitment to the Commonwealth as shown in the 2005 CHOGM and as also shown in my work as Foreign Minister subsequently, both as Chair of the Commonwealth's Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration, elected by my colleagues, and as Chair of the Steering Committee of Commonwealth Connects, appointed by the Secretary General to fulfil one of his CHOGM mandates. The decision will be taken in November. Of course, I continue with my work as Foreign Minister... it's government business as usual."

The election of the Commonwealth Secretary General will take place at the next Commonwealth summit (CHOGM) in Kampala, Uganda, in November and the successful candidate will take office the following April.

Dr Frendo's is the first candidature for this post to be announced.

Dr Gonzi said in a statement that "Dr Frendo's nomination for this prestigious international post is Malta's contribution to the Commonwealth and to the principles this organisation - which Malta has been a member of since 1964 - is based on". The Commonwealth, formed in 1949, consists of 53 independent sovereign states, all of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom, except for Mozambique and the UK itself.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic head of the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Secretary General is its chief executive.

The Commonwealth is primarily an organisation in which countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction. The primary activities of the Commonwealth are designed to create an atmosphere of economic cooperation between member nations, as well as the promotion of democracy, human rights and good governance within the member states.