SUVA (PINA) — Fiji will welcome leaders to this month’s African, Caribbean, Pacific summit in Nadi with Fijian ceremonies and Fijian and Indian cultural performances, the government said Tuesday.
Heads of state, leaders and delegates attending the 3rd summit of the 78-nation ACP group are expected to begin arriving in Nadi on July 14 and 15.
The ACP has a major trade and aid partnership with the European Union. One of the major focuses of the July 16-19 Nadi summit will be finalizing preparations for important economic partnership agreements negotiations with the EU which begin in September.
Pacific islands that are members of the ACP group are the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
On July 16, informal bilateral and pre-summit meetings involving foreign affairs ministers will be held, the government said in a news release.
A full Fijian traditional welcome ceremony will be accorded to all delegates by the chiefs and people of Narewa village, Nadi, on Wednesday, July 17, it said.
Students of Queen Victoria School and Ratu Navula Secondary School are currently preparing for the entertainment after the ceremony. Cultural items by the Indo-Fijian community will also be performed, the news release said.
It said three official languages—English, French and Spanish—will be used during the summit meetings.
On Friday, July 19, a press conference chaired by the president of the 3rd summit, Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, is scheduled.
The summit will close with a dinner and island night. This will be hosted by Qarase.
Qarase will take over the presidency at the summit, succeeding Dominican Republic President Rafael Hipolito Mejia.
The Fiji government, as host, has provided F$2.5 million funding towards the meeting, alongside major support from the EU.
Leading Fiji motor dealers are leasing their latest vehicles to the government for use during the summit—148 vehicles are being provided by dealers such as Asco Motors, Niranjan’s Autoport, Carpenters Motors and Euro Cars, a government news release said.
They include mini buses and vans.
The motor vehicles leased from the private car dealers will be returned and resold once the conference is over.
“These vehicles will help in shuttling the delegates from the airport upon their arrival to the Sheraton Fiji and within the Nadi area,” said a spokesperson of the ACP Secretariat.
Mini-buses and vans will be used to carry the extra luggage expected from some of the delegates.
Other companies and people who own suitable VIP type motor vehicles, such as Mercedes and 4-wheel drives, have also been approached for help.
Drivers for the summit have been brought in from the military and from government departments.
Media organizations are being encouraged to download accreditation forms from the Internet, said the publicity officer for the ACP Summit Media Secretariat, Sakiusa Rokotakala.
“Media accreditation forms are up on the Internet on www.acp.fiji.gov.fj>,” he said.
Rokotakala, has said forms can be filled in and e-mailed to [email protected]>.
A media center will cater for the media during the conference and should accommodate the expected large number of overseas and local journalists, he said.
Efforts are being made to have the Fijian ceremony of welcome and the official opening televised live on Fiji One, Rokotakala said.
Radio Fiji stations will provide live coverage of the events, he said.
