Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Wednesday expressed "serious" concerns at Fiji's absence to this year's PIF summit, urging the country's interim government to honor its commitment to hold elections by March 2009.
The leaders, coming from 15 of the 16-member regional organization in the Pacific, reaffirmed in a communique on Fiji the importance of maintaining and encouraging continued pressure from the Forum and other members of the international community to meet the deadline.
It was at last year's PIF summit that Fiji interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama pledged to hold fresh elections by the end of March 2009 under the rules of the current Fiji constitution.
Bainimarama, who seized power in a bloodless coup in December 2006, seems have back flipped and said fresh polls will not be held until the adoption of a "People's Charter", which would require big political and constitutional changes in the nation, including an end to communal voting.
The interim leader announced on Monday that his country was pulling out of this year's PIF summit, triggering concerns among his fellow PIF partners who are expected to discuss with him face-to-face at the summit about the election process.
Reaffirming the readiness of Forum members to continue to assist Fiji prepare the election, the PIF leaders acknowledged that there are long-term issues that need to be addressed in Fiji, including through independent and inclusive political dialogue.
The leaders, who are on retreat at the small island's only resort, tasked the Ministerial Contact Group with continued monitoring of the Fiji Situation, including the possibility of the Group returning to Fiji, and directed it to report back to Leaders before the end of 2008 on the situation regarding election preparations, and other key issues.
They also vowed to conduct the dialogue as a "genuine" one, "without precondition, threats, ultimatum or predetermined outcomes" and with "support by all key stakeholders."
A contact group, which included foreign ministers from six PIF countries, held inclusive talks with Bainimarama last month in Fiji. They have just rendered their first report to the summit about the election process in Fiji.
The leaders tasked the Ministerial Contact Group with continued monitoring of the Fiji situation, including the possibility of the Group returning to Fiji, and directed it to report back to the leaders before the end of 2008 on the situation regarding election preparations, and other key issues.
They agreed that following the receipt of the contact group's second report, a further special summit meeting would be considered by the end of 2008 to consider "special measures" in relation to Fiji, and that "measures to be considered include the suspension of particular governments from the Forum".
Niuean Premier Toke Talagi confirmed at a press conference at Matavai resort that the suspension was among the measures to be considered, but at the moment it was not being discussed.
"We are not interested in isolation," said Talagi, adding that both the contact group and himself, who is chairing the PIF in the coming year, are ready to work as medium to conduct dialogues with Fiji.
Source:Xinhua
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