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Thu, 29 Jul 2010
SUVA, Fiji ( FBC NEWS/ RNZI) --- Fiji has no intention of undermining the Pacific Islands Forum says leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
Commodore Bainimarama said accusations by Australia and New Zealand that Fiji was undermining the Forum with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Plus and then the Engaging Pacific Leaders meeting, was wrong.
He said Fiji was more concerned about discussing its future and path back to democracy with regional leaders.
âThere was no intention to undermine the Forum. If that is the way Australia saw it, then they are wrong, like theyâve been wrong from the start about what we doing in Fiji. What we trying to do is get a Forum together so that we can tell Pacific island leaders whatâs happening in Fiji and how we intend to deal with it, leading up to elections in 2014.â
Commodore Bainimarama said Australia and NZ feel threatened by his moves to engage Pacific leaders only because they want to be the dominant force in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Fijiâs Citizensâ Constitutional Forum said the Governmentâs resumption of inclusive political dialogue on electoral reform will be a sign of its commitment to elections.
The Fijian administration has recently said Pacific countries support its roadmap towards elections, following last weekâs meeting of leaders in Nadi.
But the constitutional forumâs chief executive said the Government needs to remain committed to that roadmap.
Reverend Akuila Yabaki said the New Zealand Prime Mnisterâs reassurance of financial or other help to make elections possible by 2014 should encourage the government to get the dialogue process up and running again.
âEven before this offer came which is a kind of re-engagement thing, we think that Fiji should be prepared to say âYes, and weâll continue, we will be faithful to that, we are saying that elections will be 2014 and we are going to do the necessary steps leading to that election and one of them is the re-engagement of the national dialogue processâ.â
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