3 Nov 2006

Fiji's acting military commander insists there will be no coup

4:19 pm on 3 November 2006

Fiji's acting military commander has insisted the armed forces are not intent on staging a coup.

Captain Esala Telani has told a parade of 1,000 soldiers and reservists at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks that they won't conduct a coup.

He has met the Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, but he would not say what they discussed.

He has told reporters the military wil continue to pressure the government to drop contentious legislation, including a bill that could forgive perpetrators of Fiji's 2000 coup.