Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

MSG to hold summit in Vanuatu next week

Posted at 05:40 on 03 July, 2009 UTC

All the four leaders of the Melanesia Spearhead Group have confirmed their attendance at the special retreat in Vanuatu next week ahead of the August summit of the Pacific Islands Forum.

The MSG director general, Rima Ravusiro, has told Pacnews there is no set agenda for the meeting expected to go ahead on July 10th.

Mr Ravusiro says it will be a retreat of leaders, including Fiji’s Commodore Frank Bainimarama, without officials.

The Vanuatu Prime Minister, Edward Natapei, as MSG chair, called the urgent meeting to discuss among other things Fiji’s suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum.

Fiji was suspended for not holding elections this year and now says they are more than five years away.

The special MSG Retreat comes three weeks before the annual summit of Pacific Leaders in Cairns, Australia.