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Vanuatu’s opposition leader Maxime Carlot Korman claims the country’s Prime Minister, Edward Natapei had been influenced by Australia to cancel the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) meeting.
This according to him was a ploy to create a division between the Melanesian leaders.
Korman, has also accused Australia and New Zealand of trying to punish Fiji by cancelling the MSG which was to have been hosted and chaired in Fiji.
Korman in an interview with Radio New Zealand also called on Natapei to hand in his resignation.
He made this call as he does not agree with Natapei’s decision to defer the summit, which was to have been chaired by Fiji’s PM Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
“Australia because of that regime of coup de tat tried to influence Natapei and tried to divide, create a division between our Melanesian leaders,” he said.
Korman says he agrees that Fiji’s roadmap to democracy is too slow, but says the Pacific way is to continue to discuss rather than cancelling meetings.
Bainimarama last week hosted the ‘Engaging with the Pacific’ meeting at the InterContinental Resort in Natadola to replace the cancelled MSG meeting and had called onto all the leaders of the Pacific to be part of it.
By Rachna Lal
Source: Radio NZ
