VALLETTA, 26 November 2005 — Queen Elizabeth II opened a summit of the 53-nation Commonwealth yesterday with an appeal for determined action against challenges such as terrorism that she said posed a threat to all.

Dressed in cherry-red coatdress and broad-brimmed hat with a feather, the queen said the club of mostly former British colonies can be “strong and effective” in addressing problems such as terrorism and poverty as it is a diverse group of nations representing many faiths, cultures and people.

“Determined and collective action can also help us tackle other challenges that cannot be addressed alone, such as the scourge of terrorism, which is a threat to us all and has directly affected a number of our countries,” the British monarch said at the opening ceremony held at a conference center in Valetta.

She expressed thanks to Commonwealth nations who stood by Britain in the wake of the July 7 bombings that killed 56 people on three London underground trains and a bus, the worst terrorist attack in Britain.

Other than Britain, Pakistan, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are among the Commonwealth countries also struggling with terrorism.

The queen said that last year’s tsunami disaster in Asia and the Oct. 8 earthquake in Pakistan that killed more than 73,000 people underscored the importance of solidarity among Commonwealth members.

“These times of trial have brought us together as they have also shown how vulnerable we can be alone and yet how much more we can do together,” she said.

Turning to poverty, the queen noted that while there had been progress in achieving the UN millennium development goals, which seek to halve poverty by 2015, there was “greater and more sober recognition that much still remains to be done if the goals are to be achieved by 2015.” “There are development challenges that weigh heavily upon so many of our members. It is our collective responsibility to help,” she said.

Prime Ministers Tony Blair of Britain and John Howard of Australia and the other Commonwealth leaders gathered for three days of informal talks at a resort in Golden Bay on this former British colony which joined the European Union last year.

Commonwealth leaders called for the need to send a clear message to next month’s world trade talks in Hong Kong — that poor countries expect the negotiations to deliver greater benefits from global markets.

Complaints about human rights problems, including in Commonwealth member Uganda, are also expected to be heard at the summit.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said the club should take up the cause of the poorer nations in crucial global trade talks in Hong Kong.

“This is a test of Commonwealth leadership,” McKinnon said. “If we can give the World Trade Organization talks the shot in the arm that it requires, then we would have shown” the Commonwealth works.