Fiji: Prep Work For Political Forum Gets Underway

Preparatory work for political forum gets underway

Sir Paul Reeves, the Commonwealth Secretary General's representative to the Fiji Islands will be visiting from 1st-5th July, 2008. He will be accompanied by Mr. Albert Mariner, Political Adviser of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Commodore Bainimarama, the Interim Prime Minister said that Sir Paul Reeves will be consulting with all key stakeholders ie the Interim Government and Political Parties to determine the modus operandi and a Terms of Reference of the Political Forum to be convened within a multilateral framework, and which is to be facilitated by the UN and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

He is here to pursue preliminary discussions and undertake initial preparatory work for the convening of the Forum, said Commodore Bainimarama.

With regards to the actual timing of the COMSEC-UN facilitated Forum, Commodore Bainimarama said that Government is giving it the required priority as it has been mandated by His Excellency, the President.

He said it is important that the Forum will see the principal participants from within Fiji, i.e the leaders of political parties and the Interim Government, coming to the table and engaging in genuine dialogue.

The main purpose is, as per His Excellency, the President's calling, to discuss the steps needed to reform Fiji's electoral system in order to hold free and fair elections as soon as practicable, to restore effective and genuine parliamentary democracy that Fiji needs.

ENDS

Latest World News | Top World News | World Digest | Archives | RSS

© Scoop Media