Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

EU says Fiji roadmap may affect sugar assistance review

Posted at 01:01 on 03 July, 2009 UTC

The European Union says Fiji’s new roadmap may influence the review of its sugar assistance to Fiji.

Fiji’s interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, said the country would start working on a constitution in three years to pave the way for elections to be held in 2014.

The European Commission cancelled Fiji’s 2009 sugar allocation in the absence of any indication that a legitimate government would be in place this year.

Its charge d’affaire in New Zealand, George Cunningham, says the matter requires further discussion within the EU.

“We have coming up soon a review of where Fiji’s going and the appropriation measures such as sugar funding and assistance funding, which at the moment is tied to democracy coming in by certain deadlines, far sooner of course than the expected deadline of 2014. We’re very very disappointed by the announcement.”

George Cunningham.