23 Apr 2007

Fiji's deposed PM to talk to UN fact finding mission

3:01 pm on 23 April 2007

Fiji's deposed prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, will be among the first people with whom the visiting United Nations fact finding mission currently in the country will have talks.

Mr Qarase has told the Fijilive news website from his home village in the Lau Group that he will have a teleconference with the mission sometime tomorrow.

The mission will meet with the interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, later in the week, and a wide range of stakeholders including political parties.

The UN team is led by Jahangir Khan of its Department of Political Affairs, and includes political and electoral experts as well as representatives from Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and the UN Development Programme.

The fact finding mission will report its findings and recommendations on the situation in Fiji and its compliance with the constitution and the rule of law to the UN secretary general.