21 Aug 2008

Fiji won't lose much if suspended from Forum, says Chaudhry

6:26 pm on 21 August 2008

The leader of Fiji's Labour Party Mahendra Chaudhry says Fiji wouldn't stand to lose much if it was suspended from the Forum.

Mr Chaudhry, who last week resigned as the interim Finance Minister and withdrew his party from the interim regime, says the Forum's threat is a bad move.

"One should not be talking about suspending Fiji from the Forum but more or less trying to understand the situation that we face here and what is being done to overcome the differences, the political differences that exist in Fiji between the different political parties and the sections of the community. In terms of what Fiji stands to lose if it ios suspended, I don't think it is much."

Mahendra Chaudhry says he finds the Forum of little relevance to the development of island nations because of the dominance of Australia and New Zealand.

He says he's confident that other island nations wouldn't support moves to suspend Fiji.