Reporter: Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon made the announcement at a press conference in the Nigerian capital as the summit draws to a close on Monday.

The Commonwealth has also decided to set up a seven-member group headed by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to monitor developments in Zimbabwe. Earlier, a six-member Commonwealth special committee decided to maintain the suspension and submitted their recommendation to Commonwealth leaders. The leaders of Canada, Australia, India, Jamaica, Mozambique and South Africa have been meeting on the sidelines of the summit to try to hammer out a compromise on the suspension of Zimbabwe.

Reports say during the discussions, South Africa firmly opposed the idea of excluding Zimbabwe. Many other African member states have also pressed for an end to the suspension. They argue it is better to engage with Zimbabwe than to isolate the country, saying this is not the right way to solve the problem. Many African nations suspect the so-called "white" Commonwealth members' demands for democratic reforms in Zimbabwe are just a cover for protecting white farmers and their land and the excluding of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth is a form of revenge for the country's land reforms.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's ruling party has decided to pull out of the Commonwealth as it suspects the group is being hijacked by what it called "racist" Westerners. Analysts say the suspension of Zimbabwe has already pushed the country towards quitting the group and the Commonwealth's final decision will seal Zimbabwean minds.

Observers say as the Commonwealth has so far achieved little to narrow the yawning gap between its few rich and many poor member states, the group seems to be becoming increasingly redundant. They warn Zimbabwe's pull-out may further split the Commonwealth and the country may just be the very first one to quit.

Yang Yong CRI News, Abuja