Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09PORTMORESBY11
2009-01-27 10:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Port Moresby
Cable title:  

PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM - LEADERS' DECISIONS

Tags:  PGOV PREL PP FJ 
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R 271028Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5392
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
AMEMBASSY SUVA 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 
AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY
UNCLAS PORT MORESBY 000011 


DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, EAP/EX

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PP FJ
SUBJECT: PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM - LEADERS' DECISIONS

UNCLAS PORT MORESBY 000011


DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, EAP/EX

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PP FJ
SUBJECT: PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM - LEADERS' DECISIONS


1. Summary: Pacific Islands leaders met in Port Moresby today to
discuss the situation in Fiji. They reached consensus and
stated they were committed to helping Fiji achieve the goal of
democratic rule if it wishes. They called on the Interim Fiji
Government to take action and demonstrate its commitment. The
leaders agreed that "targeted measures" of the Biketawa
Declaration will take effect unless: an election date is set by
May 1, 2009, the election is held by the end of 2009, and that
further actions (a new timetable for elections, a clear
commitment to reforms, serious and credible election
preparations, and commitment that the military will withdraw
from civilian politics following the election) are taken and
publicly declared by May 1, 2009. Further, they agreed the
targeted measures would remain in place until a democratically
elected government was restored and they tasked the Ministerial
Contact Group with continued monitoring of the Fiji situation.
Lastly, they called on the international community to support
the measures by taking complementary actions to encourage the
prompt restoration of an elected Constitutional government in
Fiji. End Summary.


2. Text of the Leaders' Decisions follows:


BEGIN TEXT
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PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM
SPECIAL LEADERS' RETREAT

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

27 January 2009


LEADERS' DECISIONS

Heads of State and Government of Australia, the Cook Islands,
Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; and representatives
of Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and Palau; met in Port
Moresby, Papua New Guinea on 27 January 2009 to discuss the
situation in Fiji. Leaders noted the apologies received from
the Republic of the Marshall Islands for its inability to attend
due to circumstances beyond its control.


2. Leaders expressed their thanks to the Government and people
of Papua New Guinea for their warm hospitality and generous
hosting of the meeting, and the excellent arrangements made for
the Retreat.


3. Leaders:

(a) Reiterated the condemnation expressed by them in the Niue
Communiqui of the failure of the Fiji Interim Government to
demonstrate the necessary political will to fulfil the
undertaking made to the Forum Leaders in 2007 that it would hold
parliamentary elections by March 2009;


(b) Noted and acknowledged the steps taken by the Fiji Interim
Government towards re-engagement with the Forum since the
Leaders' Meeting in Niue, including the reconvening of the
Forum-Fiji Joint Working Group, and the second visit of the
Ministerial Contact Group; but expressed serious concern at the
continuing lack of practical preparations for holding elections;

(c) Stated that more than two years of rule by an unelected
military government, with no clear timetable for the return of
constitutional government to the people, is not acceptable by
international standards including those embraced by all Forum
members and enshrined in the Biketawa Declaration, and
emphasised the need to restore democracy without further delay;

(d) Reaffirmed that there are long-term issues that need to be
addressed in Fiji, including through independent and inclusive
political dialogue; but that such dialogue must be primarily
focused on the holding of elections. The dialogue process
should not be the cause for further delay in holding elections;

(e) Called on the Interim Government to take the following
actions to demonstrate its commitment to the restoration of
parliamentary democracy in Fiji:

(i) provide to Forum Leaders a new timetable agreed with all key
political stakeholders, specifying in detail the agreed steps to
elections and a return to democracy, and the timing for
completing them, reflecting a consensus reached through a
genuine, open, inclusive dialogue without threats,
preconditions, ultimatums or predetermined outcomes;

(ii) make a clear commitment that any reforms agreed through
political dialogue will be implemented in accordance with the
Constitution and laws of Fiji;

(iii) undertake and sustain serious and credible election
preparations, including allocation of necessary resources to the
Office of the Supervisor of Elections, and the prompt
preparation of the electoral roll; and

(iv) make a renewed commitment that the military will withdraw
from civilian politics following such an election, return to
barracks, and submit to the authority of the elected civilian
government in accordance with the Constitution;

(f) Agreed, subject to progressing the actions specified at
sub-paragraph (e) above, to positively consider providing prompt
financial and technical assistance to the President's Political
Dialogue Forum; in recognition of the value of independent and
inclusive dialogue as a long-term process to assist in
resolving broader issues in Fiji. The specifics of such
assistance would be determined in close consultation with the
Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations.

(g) Reaffirmed the ongoing readiness of Forum members to
continue to assist Fiji with preparations for an election, and
called on the relevant authorities in Fiji to cooperate fully
with Forum members and other donors to expedite such assistance;

(h) Agreed, in furtherance of Forum members' collective
commitment to the fundamental principles enshrined in the
Biketawa Declaration, to the imposition of "targeted measures"
under paragraph 2(iv) of the Biketawa Declaration in relation to
Fiji to take effect unless:

(i) the Fiji Interim Government nominates an election date by 1
May 2009;

(ii) that election is held by the end of December 2009; and

(iii) the actions in paragraph (e) above are taken and publicly
declared by 1 May 2009.

(i) Agreed that such targeted measures will comprise the
following:

(i) suspension of participation by the Leader, Ministers and
officials of the Fiji Interim Government in all Forum meetings
and events; and

(ii) ineligibility of the Fiji Interim Government to benefit
from Forum regional cooperation initiatives, and new financial
and technical assistance, other than assistance toward the
restoration of democracy under the framework of the Biketawa
Declaration;

(j) Agreed that the targeted measures, if imposed, will remain
in place until such time as a democratically elected, civilian
parliamentary government is restored in Fiji;

(k) Tasked the Ministerial Contact Group with continued
monitoring of the Fiji situation, within the framework of
Leaders' decisions, including in relation to the assessment of
the Fiji Interim Government's compliance with sub-paragraph (e)
above, and directed it to report further to Leaders as required
and in any case before their 2009 annual meeting in Australia.
Such reporting could, if necessary, recommend the partial
relaxation of existing measures, or, alternatively, the adoption
of further measures, which might include full suspension of
Fiji's membership in the Forum; and

(l) Called on the international community to support the
measures outlined above by taking complementary actions to
encourage the prompt restoration of elected constitutional
government in Fiji.



4. Leaders considered that the timelines specified in these
decisions are consistent with the position stated to Forum
Leader by the representative of the Fiji Interim Government on a
timetable for the return to democracy.


Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

27 January 2009

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END TEXT


3. SEPTEL to follow.


ROWE