NICOSIA : Commonwealth Meets

The heads of more than 40 former British colonies join Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister John Major on Thursday on the island of Cyprus to open the 29th Summit of the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

Atop the agenda for the five-day meeting will be the Commonwealth’s role in helping create multiracial democracy and equality in South Africa, which left the organization in 1961 but has expressed interest in rejoining. The Commonwealth leaders, who together represent 1.5 billion people, also plan to discuss U.N. reform, controversy over America’s lead role in the United Nations and human rights.

Cyprus, which is spending $2 million a day in added security to host the biennial conference, has an agenda of its own: It wants more support for U.N. resolutions calling for a withdrawal of Turkish troops that have occupied the northern third of the island for the past 20 years.