27 JUNE 2000 SUVA (Pacnews) ---- Fiji's Citizens' Constitutional Forum (CCF)
has appealed to the military regime to appoint an interim government of national
unity from 56 members of the democratic Parliament who are not being held captive.
Rev Akuila Yabaki, executive director of the CCF, called on military chief Commodore
Frank Bainimarama to agree to such a government comprising members of both the
lower House of Representatives and the Senate.
He also called on the military to hand over responsibility for the negotiation
for the release of the 27
remaining hostages to the elected political leaders in such a government. "It
is obvious that the Republic of Fiji Military Forces negotiating team and [rebel
leader] George Speight's people have not been able to agree on the composition
of the cabinet and the person to be appointed as President," Rev. Yabaki
said at a media conference.
He said the only issue they were able to agree on in the proposed Muanikau Accord
was the reference of the appointment of a president to the Great Council of
Chiefs (GCC). The President would then appoint a cabinet from the two lists
of the RFMF and Speight's group.
"The Muanikau Accord is not a solution to our present impasse. Neither
will it bring about the lifting of trade bans and sanctions that have been or
will be imposed on Fiji by the Commonwealth countries, the European Union and
other nations," he said.
However, he believed an interim unity government, picked from all political
parties that have been
members of Parliament, would put Fiji in a stronger position to ask for the
lifting of the bans and therefore speed up the movement towards normalcy.
Rev Yabaki reiterated the Commonwealth Ministerial Action for Group (CMAG) call
to quickly reinstate a constitutional government if Fiji was to retain membership
in the Commonwealth.
"Negotiations with George Speight should be abandoned because the Muanikau
Accord will never bring about any economic recovery."
He believes the country could not afford to have these "on-off" negotiations
drag on too much longer
because people were losing their job as businesses were being adversely affected
by the situation.
Rev Yabaki said Parliament should be convened under Section 68(3) of the 1997
Constitution to elect an interim government or by decrees. "The RFMF should
confine itself only to guarding the elected interim government, policing the
curfews and guarding public installations after it hands over power," he
said.
Rev. Yabaki said there were 56 members of Parliament available at large to make
a quorum for a joint
meeting of both houses of Parliament for this purpose and the Speaker, Dr. Apenisa
Kurisaqila, is
reported to be willing to convene Parliament.... PNS (ENDS)
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