Concerns are being raised by delegates at the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in Tonga after threats from New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Australian Foreign Minister Alexandra Downer that they will walk out of meetings to be attended by Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
Our news director Vijay Narayan has the details.
Vijay Narayan reports: The 38th Pacific Islands Leaders Forum is set to get underway here in Tonga today and the major concern is whether NZ PM Helen Clark and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer will walk out of the forum meeting if Fiji’s Interim PM Commodore Frank Bainimarama attends. Both Clark and Downer arrived last night and are staying at their High Commissioner’s residences while the other forum leaders including Bainimarama are staying at the International Dateline Hotel here in Nuku’Alofa. Commodore Bainimarama has stressed that he will attend all the forum meetings from today and he also says he is ready to engage in positive dialogue with NZ and Australia and explain Fiji’s situation to them which could put Clark in a dilemma who has indicated that she will not be in the same meeting room with Bainimarama. Meanwhile, Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon says talking is important for the leaders but they have their own ways of doing things.
Concerns over Clark/Downer boycott threats
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