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Fiji’s participation in next year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, is in doubt following the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in New York on September 26, 2009.
The group said in a statement that it has “requested the Commonwealth Games Federation to take into serious consideration CMAG’s decision in relation to the suspension of the Fiji Islands, in determining Fiji’s participation in the Games”.
It also wants other Commonwealth bodies to be consistent with its decision to suspend Fiji from the 52-member grouping.
The 32nd regular meeting of CMAG was attended by Hon Datuk Anifah Aman (chairman), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; Marco Hausiku, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Namibia; Murray McCully, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand; Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka; Rufus George Bousquet, Minister of External Affairs of St Lucia; Sam Kutesa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda (Vice-Chair); Ivan Lewis, Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of United Kingdom; Gabriel Pepson, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea, and Ms Beatrice Rosa Brobbey, Director Multilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana.
CMAG was briefed by the Secretary-General Kamlesh Sharma on the visit of his Special Representative, Sir Paul Reeves, to Fiji from September 8-11, 2009.
At the request of the Fijian Government, CMAG also received a briefing from Fiji’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.
But in the end nothing changed, Fiji’s suspension on September 1 this year remains.
The group noted that although the Secretary-General received a letter from Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama on August 21, reaffirming his commitment to the principles of the Commonwealth, his response did not meet the terms set out by CMAG on July 31.
CMAG had urged Fiji to state in writing its firm commitment to reactivating dialogue with Fiji’s political party leaders, leading to credible elections in the country no later than October 2010.
It has also urged the Government to rescind the Public Emergency Regulation, which censors the media and public gatherings.
Bainimarama has told world leaders that he will return the country to democratic rule in 2014.
