7 Jan 2011

Fiji to join Non-Aligned Movement in May

11:27 am on 7 January 2011

Fiji says its bid to join the Non-Aligned Movement has been accepted by its chair, Egypt.

The interim foreign minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, has told the Fiji Sun that the Egyptian foreign minister has advised him of the endorsement, allowing Fiji to join as the 119th member when the Movement next meets in Indonesia in May.

The Movement, which was formed in 1961, includes most African. Latin American and South Asian countries as well as Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu in the Pacific.

Fiji decided to seek membership last February, with Ratu Inoke saying the Movement has morphed into a tool for strengthening leverage when negotiating with the developed world.