§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the political settlement of the recent crisis in Fiji, including its racial aspects, and (b) Fiji's future membership of the Commonwealth. [131413]
§ Mr. BattleWe are relieved that all the hostages have now been released, but dismayed that George Speight and his supporters have been allowed to overthrow Fiji's democratically elected Government at the point of a gun, and that the 1997 Constitution has been abrogated. We continue to call for the restoration of a democratic and constitutional Government which respects the rights of all Fijians. Unless Fiji's new interim administration can demonstrate a clear road map for returning Fiji to democracy, the Commonwealth may wish to consider further measures at the next meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in September.