The war of words between Fiji's trade minister and the Pacific Islands Forum is continuing, with Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum dismissing claims his walking out of talks in Solomon Islands was a display of un-Pacific behaviour.
The Pacific members of the ACP group of countries met in a Forum Secretariat organised meeting in Honiara to prepare positions ahead of meetings with the European Union trade commissioner later in the week to discuss a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says he had pulled out on a matter of principle, saying the group should meet without the EU's presence or pressure from the secretariat.
The Forum says the suggestion that it is acting for the EU hardly deserves a serious response.
It says the Fiji walk out from a ministerial meeting is simply not done and was an extraordinary display of unwarranted and un-Pacific behaviour.
In response Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says he stand by his earlier criticism.
He reiterates his claim that the secretariat failed to fulfil its obligations to members, and demonstrated a clear lack of transparency and propriety in the way it organised the meetings.
