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Issue No: 613; 21 March 2001
The Commonwealth of Nations has agreed to keep Fiji out of the Commonwealth committees. In the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) yesterday, the group decided that Fiji's suspension from Commonwealth councils will remain in force for the time being. The Commonwealth's Secretary General Don McKinnon told the
media after the end of the CMAG meeting that the suspension will continue
"pending the restoration of democracy". In a statement, the CMAG said
it would "closely monitor" the situation in Fiji. It expressed
"the hope that by the time the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads Fiji was suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth last year after terrorists took over the Parliament Complex and the security forces in Fiji failed to release the hostages. Meanwhile, the New Zealand government had informed the
Commonwealth that it will keep its sanctions in place. NZ's Foreign Affairs
Minister wrote to the CMAG saying that the country was not ready to lift
sanctions against Fiji. He stated: "Suspension of the sanctions will need
to await clear evidence of early elections and an unequivocal commitment by the
caretaker government to a democratic outcome at the ballot box". He also
stated that the President Ratu Josefa Iloilo only gave lip service to the Court
of Appeal ruling and at best it is on the outer edges of constitutionality. He
stated: "New Zealand is concerned that the former interim administration
declared illegal by the Court of Appeal had effectively been legitimised and
appointed as a caretaker government. The most constitutional approach would have
been the reconvening of Parliament and letting it decide who should govern until
elections are held". |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
