Fiji: NZ Prime Minister Reflects On The Way Forward; Forum Statement; 2006 Fiji Coup

First, an opinion column released by NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark. She reflects on the way forward in Fiji following the discussions among Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in Niue last month.

Following that, the full text of the statement of the Pacific Leaders Forum Meeting in NIue.

Finally, looking back to December 2006, Fiji Coup in Pictures.

A Way Forward For Fiji

Public commentary on Fiji since the Niue Forum has focused on the warning Leaders gave to the Interim Government about Fiji’s future participation in the regional body in the event the Interim Government continues down its current path. Much less attention has been paid, especially within Fiji, to the framework Forum Leaders provided in their communiqué to help resolve the current situation in Fiji.

Forum Leaders explicitly acknowledged that there are long-term issues that need to be addressed in Fiji. They recognised that an independent and inclusive political dialogue process could assist in developing understandings among Fiji’s key stakeholders. Leaders considered that the framework for this political dialogue already exists in the Commonwealth-led process of consultations with stakeholders. In the view of Forum Leaders, this could create a more conducive environment for an election to be held under Fiji’s current Constitution by March 2009, and provide a basis for all stakeholders to commit to work with the newly-elected government to advance a framework for reform and broader national reconciliation. Read the rest of this entry »