Fiji's Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said it would be better if the United Nations headquarters is based in China.
He said it is clear that the US government through the US embassy in Fiji is not fulfilling it's international obligations by failing to give visas to high level Fiji Ministers and officials to attend major international meetings.
Commodore Bainimarama said Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum did not get his visa to go to the UN General Assembly in New York although his application was lodged in the specified time, and he said the US embassy should have stayed true to its's commitment and granted the visa.
He said it is now a real concern that even the transit visa was not given to the Minister for Environment to attend the Climate Change meeting in Mexico.
The US Embassy yesterday stated that early visa applications are especially important for those identified as participants in, or key supporters of, the December 2006 takeover, whose names have been entered on a Department of State visa watch list.
The embassy said such applications require Washington clearances prior to visa issuance.
Because the embassy must send these applications to the Department of State, where they undergo a rigorous review by several offices and other agencies, the embassy said the processing time may require up to three weeks in some cases.
However Commodore Bainimarama said the US embassy is not following it's international obligation by denying Fiji's voices to be heard in important international meetings.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
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