16 Oct 2003

Fiji's CCF calls for international pressure over multi-party impasse

12:38 pm on 16 October 2003

Fiji's Citizens Constitutional Forum is calling for international pressure to resolve a stalemate over moves towards achieving a multi-party Cabinet.

The Supreme Court has confirmed that the issue is not on its agenda for its current session, which began yesterday.

The head of the CCF, the Reverend Akuila Yabaki, says both the governing SDL party and Labour are to blame for failing to ensure that the court can hear the case.

He says this amounts to a betrayal of the trust people placed in them.

Mr Yabaki says it's time for the international community to exert pressure to ensure that the parties honour an agreement last month to have the court hear the case.

"It sounds like a stalemate. It could be that both sides have something to lose from it, but I think that having said that they want to go into multi-party, they should be pressed to go ahead with it."

The Reverend Akuila Yabaki.