29 Jul 2008

Meeting between interim and deposed PMs postponed

10:17 am on 29 July 2008

A much anticipated meeting between Fiji's ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama has been called off.

Mr Qarase, who had been waiting for the meeting, was told early yesterday that Commodore Bainimarama was attending to urgent matters and that he would be informed of a meeting if possible.

The fiji Times reports that the Commodore is understood to have called a cabinet meeting instead of the normal Tuesday meeting so he could catch the Tuesday flight to Tonga to be in time for the coronation of the King of Tonga.

Mr Qarase says he was told late in the day the meeting would be deferred to another date because of the interim Prime Ministers urgent commitments.