Agreed Outcomes - Forum-Fiji Joint Working Group Meeting
PRESS STATEMENT (234/07)
13th December 2007 Pacific Islands Forum-Fiji Joint Working Group on the Situation in Fiji 13 December 2007, Forum Secretariat, Suva AGREED OUTCOMES The Working Group held its twenty-first meeting at the Forum Secretariat Headquarters in Suva on 13 December 2007, attended by senior officials from Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. A presentation was made to the Working Group on the work of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. The Working Group discussed the progress of Fiji’s preparations for the election. The Working Group welcomed the appointment of Mr Soro Toutou as Deputy Supervisor of Elections with effect from 13 December 2007. The Working Group expressed concern about the continued delay in the appointment of a Chair for the Constitutional Boundaries Commission. The Working Group agreed that it should seek a briefing from the Chair of the Electoral Commission and the Deputy Supervisor of Elections prior to the meeting of Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers scheduled for early 2008. The Working Group was advised that the Election Donor Coordination Committee would hold its first formal meeting on 17 December 2007. The Working Group discussed the relationship between the People’s Charter process and the timetable for holding elections by March 2009. The Working Group agreed that this issue should be further discussed in 2008. The Working Group discussed the standing issues (the restoration of civilian rule, upholding the 1997 Constitution, the cessation of human rights abuses and addressing allegations of abuse, and support for a credible and independent anti-corruption commission). The Working Group will hold its next meeting on 31 January 2008. Forum Secretariat, Suva 13 December 2007 |
2007