2 May 2007

Fiji not invited to Commonwealth summit

7:32 am on 2 May 2007

Fiji has not been invited to this year's Commonwealth heads of government summit in Uganda later this year because of the military takeover in December.

Fiji TV reports that this has been confirmed by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

Fiji's interim minister for foreign affairs, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, this was to be expected because Fiji is suspended from the Commonwealth.

But, he says, this is a temporary issue and Fiji's friends in the Commonwealth and its secretariat will keep it informed of what is happening.

Ratu Epeli also says the recent decision by the Great Council of Chiefs to reject his nomination for the vice presidency was not an embarrassment for him.

He says Great Council had embarrassed President Iloilo who made the nomination and the chiefs should not have done that.