Prime ministers, presidents and kings attending the summit in Nigeria set up a six-nation committee on Friday to seek a consensus and allow the main body of the conference to discuss global trade, AIDS and terrorism.

"These people are very experienced political leaders," re-elected Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon told BBC radio yesterday.

"They are all people who are capable of coming to a resolution that I believe, given the breadth of thinking of those six people, will be largely accepted by the rest of the Commonwealth."

The group suspended Zimbabwe last year, saying President Robert Mugabe had rigged his re-election and harassed opponents.

The task force is made up of leaders from Australia and Canada, who oppose readmission; from Zimbabwe's neighbours Mozambique and South Africa, who are in favour; and from India and Jamaica, thought to be more neutral.

Mugabe, 79, threatened on Friday to quit the club.

"If the choice were made, one for us to lose our sovereignty and become a member of the Commonwealth or remain with our sovereignty and lose the membership of the Commonwealth, I would say let the Commonwealth go," he said.

His ruling ZANU-PF party was set to condemn Mugabe's treatment by the "white Commonwealth" and support his threat to withdraw from the group if suspension continues.