Sharma meets Fiji’s Interim Prime Minister in margins of UN General Assembly

The following text is a statement by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s spokesperson:

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma met with Interim Prime Minister Bainimarama of Fiji in New York on 25 September 2009.

The meeting took place in the margins of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly, and in advance of the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to be held in New York on 26 September 2009.

The Secretary-General stressed that the Interim Government’s plans to wait another three years before re-starting a national dialogue on Fiji’s future, and five years before the holding of elections, could not be supported by the Commonwealth. The Secretary-General observed that such a timeframe carried no credibility with the international community. He urged Commodore Bainimarama to demonstrate his willingness to resume a fully inclusive political dialogue process. The Secretary-General reiterated that the Commonwealth stood ready to support such a process.

The Secretary-General also raised the concern of Commonwealth members about the human rights situation in Fiji, and urged the Interim Government to rescind the Public Emergency Regulation presently in force.

The Secretary-General said that the Commonwealth remained open to re-engaging with the Interim Government of Fiji on the basis of Commonwealth principles.

Note to Editors:

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Fiji, Sir Paul Reeves, visited Fiji from 8 to 11 September 2009.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commodore Bainimarama last met in New York in September 2008.

Fiji was fully suspended from the Commonwealth on 1 September 2009.

For media enquiries, please contact Eduardo del Buey, Spokesperson, at UK mobile: +44-(0)7740-450-901, or Email: e.delbuey@commonwealth.int.

Key Links:

• Country Profile: Fiji Islands
• Secretary-General