Leaders at the Commonwealth summit in Australia have put off a highly anticipated debate on actions against Zimbabwe.

A Commonwealth spokesman says heads of government meeting at the summit in eastern Australia discussed the situation in Zimbabwe briefly Saturday, then decided to postpone further talks until Sunday.

The Commonwealth leaders are scheduled to meet in a closed-door "retreat" on Sunday and Monday.

Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been pushing for Zimbabwe's suspension from the 54-member Commonwealth, backed off that effort today in the face of stiff opposition from African member nations. Rising political violence in Zimbabwe has led the Commonwealth to consider sanctions against the government of President Robert Mugabe, but the 54-nation group now seems unlikely to take any action before Zimbabwe's presidential election, on March 9 and 10.

Mr. Mugabe, Zimbabwe's leader since the former British colony gained independence 22 years ago, has been widely criticized for stifling the country's political opposition, and for limiting civil liberties. The Commonwealth leaders also approved a series of anti-terrorism measures in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States. It was agreed that any member nation found to be harboring terrorists would be expelled from the group. The organization also pledged to assist member nations in developing laws and security measures to crack down on terrorist organizations.

Leaders from most of the 54 nations that make up the Commonwealth are gathered at a resort in eastern Australia for the four-day meeting. Queen Elizabeth formally opened the summit today meeting with a call for greater understanding between people of different cultures.

The Commonwealth heads of government meeting - normally held every two years - was originally scheduled to be held in Brisbane last October. The summit was postponed and relocated to the town of Coolum on short notice following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Representatives of at least 51 member states are attending this year's summit. Pakistan, formerly a full member, is barred from taking part because its Commonwealth membership was suspended as a protest against President Pervez Musharraf's seizure of power in 1999.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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