New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, says Fiji's excuse for not attending the Pacic Forum leaders summit is complete and utter nonsense.
The interim government says its delegation will not be attending in protest at being unable to attend the series of bi-lateral talks in Auckland immediately after this week's Niue Summit.
Miss Clark says there is plenty of time to have bilateral meetings in Niue.
"The commodore should have been there to front up and face questioning from teh leaders, because it is a serious matter for someone, who mounts a coup, to then come and give a range of undertakings to other regional leaders and then make it clear down the track that he never meant anything he said. Now you would expect such a person to come and explain what on earth is going on."
