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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General's Special Envoy to return to Fiji Islands

19 September 2001

Commonwealth Secretary-General's Special Envoy to return to Fiji Islands



The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, today made the following statement on Fiji Islands:

"At the Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) in London in early September, it was decided Fiji's suspension from the councils of the Commonwealth should be lifted, provided that the Commonwealth Observer Group which was present at the elections in Fiji from 25 August to 5 September 2001 judged that the electoral process was free and fair, and provided that a new, elected Government had been formed in accordance with the Constitution.

"I am pleased with the conduct of the elections, which the Commonwealth Observer Group reported were an accurate reflection of the wishes of the people. I do however remain concerned at developments in Fiji and I am continuing to monitor the situation closely. At the present time, I am not fully satisfied that the second precondition set by CMAG for Fiji's return to full Commonwealth membership has been met. I remain in close consultation with CMAG Ministers on this matter and my Special Envoy, Justice Pius Langa, will be returning to Fiji shortly. Justice Langa will report to CMAG at their next meeting on the eve of CHOGM, where the situation in Fiji Islands will be further reviewed".


Note to Editors:
Fiji Islands was suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth in June 2000 following the overthrow of the country's elected government in May 2000.

01/61 19 September 2001
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