MBEKI GETS NEW C’WEALTH POSITION

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki has been appointed as the first chairman of the Commonwealth. The new position was created by the organisation at the end of its heads of governemnt meeting in Durban on Monday. Mbeki will hold the position until the next Commonwealth meeting in 2001. Traditionally the head of state of the host nation has held the position of chairman for that particular meeting only. Commonwealth heads of state agreed that the chairman should play more of a representative role between meetings to give the Commonwealth a voice in other international institutions.