Tight security as Commonwealth summit opens

PERTH: Commonwealth leaders hold a summit amid tight security Friday with issues from human rights to succession to the British throne on the agenda but the organisation's relevance under question.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the 54-nation Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held every two years, after a highly successful tour of Australia where she has been greeted by adoring crowds.

Thousands of police are to be deployed on the streets around the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre to deter potential terrorist threats and limit any protests by those wanting to emulate the global "Occupy" movement.

Most Commonwealth leaders are attending, although Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pulled out without giving a reason while Britain's David Cameron is arriving late after attending the eurozone debt crisis talks.

Reforming the Commonwealth as it struggles to remain relevant 62 years after it was founded will be a key focus for the grouping, composed mainly of former British colonies and embracing some two billion citizens.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned the bloc must heed the "clarion call" for reform, although Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma insists the grouping remains "a very contemporary organisation".

Sharma said the three-day meeting would consider a series of proposals, including establishing an independent commissioner to monitor human rights.

"I'm convinced this is going to be a landmark CHOGM in respect of what it puts in place on reform, renewal and resilience," Sharma said.

He said proposed reforms, put forward by an Eminent Persons Group after a lengthy review, would make it easier for the bloc to raise concerns about human rights issues with member countries.

But local reports said the centrepiece of the recommendations was in danger of being rejected, with India and South Africa firmly opposed to the creation of a human rights watchdog.

Leaders will also discuss proposals to change the rules for the line of succession to the British throne, with the subject taking on new momentum since the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton in April.

Other issues set to be discussed are the laws in many Commonwealth countries which criminalise homosexual sex and the prevalence of forced marriages of young girls, with some of the bloc's members among the world's worst offenders.

Climate change was a key theme of the last meeting in Port of Spain and with several small island states and 19 African countries being members of the Commonwealth it is again seen as playing a major part in Perth. (AFP)