Political dialogue: Fiji commits
The mid-April consultations between Fiji and the European Union (EU) under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement resulted in commitments by Fiji’s interim government, stated European Commission officials.
The Brussels talks follow the breach of the “essential elements” of the Cotonou agreement, flouted by the December 2006 military takeover in Fiji of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. ACP States then also strongly condemned the ousting of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, democratically elected in May 2006.
Commitments made are to be closely monitored by the EC and include parliamentary elections in less than twenty-four months and the lifting of Public Emergency Regulations in May 2007. New aid for Fiji will be linked to progress on the key commitments agreed by Fiji, stress EC officials.
They add that the talks highlight the value of Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement to deal successfully with a post-coup situation in an ACP State.
ACP Ministers, meeting in Brussels, May 21–24, welcomed the 13 commitments made by the Fiji government and said that they would be regularly reviewed by the ACP Council.
