18 Oct 2010

Fiji expected to get chair of MSG after special meeting on Solomons

6:10 am on 18 October 2010

Solomon Islands will mediate at a special meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead group this week to resolve the chairmanship impasse between Fiji and Vanuatu.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Edward Natapei, has restated that he will not hand over the chairmanship of the Melanesian leader's group to Fiji because their leader is not elected and the body must uphold democratic principles.

Fiji's Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama has told local media he will not attend the leaders meeting, but will be represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He told Fiji Live it's expected the chairmanship will be handed to Solomon Islands who would then hand it over to Fiji.

Solomon's Assistant Secretary of the Pacific Affairs, John Wasi, told the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation that the MSG meeting proper will take place soon after with Fiji taking on the chairmanship of the meeting.