MORE than a dozen new leaders have moved into power in the past two years and are attending a Commonwealth summit for the first time.

Trinidad and Tobago are absent, fighting an election.

First-timers from the Pacific include Prime Minister Solomon Mamaloni of

Solomon Islands and Maxime Carlotkorman of Vanuatu.

Notable absentees: Prime Ministers Narasimha Rao of India. P J Patterson of Jamaica, and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, and President Yowiri Museveni of Uganda. — Gemini News.

— Derek Ingram

For 33 years, the Commonwealth waited and agonised for the return of South Africa. So the high point in Auckland is the moment when Nelson Mandela makes his appearance on the platform as President of the republic that rejoined last year.

Of all the new faces at this meeting, his presence spells success for the Commonwealth. It recalls the major role the organisation played in breaking apartheid — through sanctions, sports boycotts, the provision of constitutional and electoral expertise and many other actions.

New Zealand was Itself the scene of bitter controversy and riots over its rugby links with the white regime, which were finally broken off.

Mandela might recall that, ironically, it was the man who is currently Nigeria's most famous political prisoner. General Olusegun Obasanjo, who visited him in prison in South Africa as an envoy for the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group. The group achieved the diplomatic breakthrough in 1986 that led to the end of the apartheid regime eight years later. Now. Mandela may find himaelf discussing how Obasanjo and others can be freed from jail.

In Auckland, the focus is also on Paul Biya. 62-year-old President of Cameroon — a brand new member of the Commonwealth — who Is unique In being the only leader from a francophone country to ait with the organisation Biya first came to of flee as prime minister 20 years ago

President Chandrika Ku-rnaratunga of Sri Lanka is the daughter of two premiers — Slrlmavo Bandaranalke the first woman In the world to become Prime Minister and now in the post again, and the assassinated Solomon Bandaranalke Kumaratunga was elected exactly a year ago

She has a war on her hands in Srl Lanka, while Jean Chretien has been fac ing a crisis of a different kind since he became Prime Min ister of Canada at the time of the 1993 Cyprus summit He ousted Kim Campbell, briefly Prime Minister after the res ignatlon of Brian Mulroney

President Baklli Muluzl of Malawi makes his first ap pearance at a Commonwealth summit following his election victory last year over the longest serving leader Ka muzu Banda, who is now on trial, accused of plotting the murder of four ministers

The Caribbean has produced a clutch of new leaders since Cyprus —Prime Minis ters Owen Arthur of Barba dos. Edison James of Dominica. Keith Mitchell of Grenada, and Denzil Douglas of St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Solomon Islands and Maxime Carlotkorman of Vanuatu.

Notable absentees: Prime Ministers Narasimha Rao of India. P J Patterson of Jamaica, and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, and President Yowlri Museveni of Uganda. — Gemini News.

— Derek Ingram