A special meeting of the Forum Joint Working Group was convened this morning to discuss Fiji's withdrawal from the Working Group meetings.

Working Group members discussed Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama's letter to the Forum chair advising that Fiji would no longer participate in the meetings following which the members endorsed the views expressed by the chair in an earlier statement.

They reiterated that the Working Group is a valuable channel for dialogue between officials, one that members would be disappointed to close. They again urged Fiji to remain engaged with regional neighbours by continuing to be a member of the Working Group.

The Working Group has agreed to provide a briefing to the Forum chair through the Acting Secretary General immediately.