The Commonwealth has decided that Fiji should remain suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth and in the absence of satisfactory progress in Fiji it would conduct an earlier meeting than September.

The Commonwealth has given Fiji a six month-deadline for the interim government to follow the Pacific Islands Forum deadline to have elections by December this year.

In a meeting in London early this morning, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group decided that Fiji faces full suspension from the Commonwealth in September if it does not follow the benchmarks set by the Pacific Forum.

However Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group agreed that the Presidential Political Forum should be supported but it stresses that clear timelines should be set for the political forum.

The group also called on all Commonwealth member countries and others in the international community to support the mediation process politically and financially.