A number of countries have called for Fiji’s suspension to be lifted, following a meeting in Nadi last week. Fiji has been suspended from the Forum since 2009, over its refusal to hold elections until 2014.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi says Fiji must follow the Forum’s rules.
“Those rules are there to be observed. You can’t just throw overboard the rules just because of a colleague that is outside and does not wish to observe the rules.”
He says the Forum is doing a lot to engage with Fiji, but the ball is in Fiji’s court.
Meanwhile, Cook Islands has put in a bid to host the next year’s Pacific Islands Forum meeting. The country’s finance minister, Mark Brown, says it has around a dozen bilateral meetings to hold over the next week.
He says the government had to bring a large delegation, of 20 people, to make sure it is well represented.
“And I understand that a number of personnel from foreign affairs will be charged with the organizing of the Forum next year are down here, the chief of protocol is serving an attachment with the New Zealand protocol services so that he’s familiar with the events involved with a Forum.”
Brown says he understands the Cook Islands is the only country bidding for next year’s summit.
