Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon late Sunday announced that Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth councils, which was due to be lifted this week, would be extended for nine months, until December.
The southern African country was originally excluded from the councils after international observers ruled that elections a year ago, which returned President Robert Mugabe to power, were seriously flawed.
"McKinnon has no authority to issue such a statement," The Herald quoted Zimbabwe's high commissioner to London, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, as saying.
He said there was no way the decision to extend Zimbabwe's suspension could have been based on a consensus among Commonwealth members.
In taking the decision McKinnon claimed it was widely agreed among Commonwealth members to leave the question of Zimbabwe's readmittance until the group's next full meeting in December.
Following Zimbabwe's suspension in March last year, a special troika comprising the leaders of Nigeria, South Africa and Australia was set up to deal with the Commonwealth's concerns over the country.
Both Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa had indicated prior to the announcement of the extension that they supported Zimbabwe's readmittance, while John Howard of Australia favoured continued suspension.
"The two members of the troika (Nigeria and South Africa) who decided that the suspension should be lifted have not changed their stance," Mumbengegwi told The Herald - Sapa-AFP
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