DTN News: Fiji TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Commonwealth Suspends Fiji After Failed Efforts To Restore Democracy

DTN News: Fiji TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Commonwealth Suspends Fiji After Failed Efforts To Restore Democracy

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) SUVA, Fiji - September 2, 2009: The Commonwealth says it has suspended Fiji after the Pacific Island nation failed to meet its demands to begin restoring democracy.

Fiji's military chief Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama (R) is sworn in as interim prime minister by President Josefa Iloilo (L) during a ceremony at Government House in Suva on April 11, 2009. Fiji has been plunged into a new political crisis since the Court of Appeal declared that Bainimarama's government had been illegally appointed by Iloilo following the December 2006 military coup.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced Fiji's suspension from the 53-nation group in a statement Tuesday.

The Commonwealth, comprised of the United Kingdom, its dependencies and many former British colonies, ruled in July that unless Fiji opened democracy talks, it would be cut off from all aid from the group. The Commonwealth had called for Fiji to start the political dialogue to pave the way for democratic elections by October 2010. Sharma said Tuesday that although Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama sent him a letter re-affirming his commitment to the Commonwealth, his response did not meet the group's full conditions.

The action also formally suspends the island nation from all Commonwealth sporting events. New Zealand's Prime Minister Murray McCully had said full suspension of the Pacific archipelago nation from the Commonwealth was imminent at some stage.

Fiji was already suspended from the Pacific Island Forum, a regional bloc of 16 nations and major trade partners, including the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.

Fiji's leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, took power in a 2006 coup.

He promised to restore democracy by 2009. But in May of this year, the government postponed the election until 2014.

UN Chief Urges Fiji To Fully Respect Human Rights, Rule Of Law / Fiji Coup Regime Ruled Unlawful / Court Declares Fiji's Military Government Illegal

UN Chief Urges Fiji To Fully Respect Human Rights, Rule Of Law / Fiji Coup Regime Ruled Unlawful / Court Declares Fiji's Military Government Illegal

(NSI News Source Info) UNITED NATIONS - April 10, 2009: UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Thursday appealed for calm and urged full respect for human rights, the rule of law and the judicial process after the Fiji Court of Appeal declared unlawful the removal of elected government and the appointment of interim-government. "The Secretary-general takes note of the ruling of the Fiji Court of Appeal ... and appeals for calm and urges full respect for human rights, the rule of law and the judicial process," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson. The Fiji Court of Appeal declared on Thursday that the removal in December 2006 of the elected government was unlawful and the appointment of the interim-government unconstitutional. It has ruled it lawful for the president to appoint a caretaker prime minister to issue writs for general elections. The United Nations has also learned of the outcome of the meeting convened by Commodore Voreque Bainimarama on Thursday, which included a number of political parties, while excluding a number of major ones, and the position taken at that meeting with regard to the President's Political Dialogue Forum to be jointly mediated by the United Nations and the Commonwealth, the statement said. "The United Nations, in consultation with the Commonwealth, will be reviewing its role in mediating a national dialogue in light of these developments and the prior understanding that the dialogue must be broad-based, inclusive, time bound and without prejudice as to its outcome," it said.