20 Mar 2007

EU welcomes outcome of Forum foreign ministers'

3:29 pm on 20 March 2007

The European Union has welcomed the outcome of last week's meeting of Pacific foreign ministers who gathered to discuss the demise of democracy in Fiji.

The Delegation of the European Commission for the Pacific says they appreciated calls to stop human rights abuses in Fiji, and for a working committee to help the country return to democracy.

The meeting of Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers was held in Vanuatu in response to events in Fiji following the December military coup.

Since the military took over the country there have been widespread allegations of human rights violations and clampdowns on the media.

After the coup, Europe threatened to withdraw about hundreds of millions of dollars of aid earmarked for Fiji between 2007 and 2013.

A meeting is planned in Brussels next month between the European Union and Fiji's interim government to discuss the situation in Fiji.