WASHINGTON DC (17 Mar 2001) -- The United States has condemned Fiji's new caretaker government saying it regretted the reappointment of Laisenia Qarase as prime minister. The U.S. State Department said the appointment "apparently ignores the recent ruling by the Court of Appeal upholding the validity of Fiji's 1997 constitution." The appointment of Tevita Momoedonu as prime minister on Thursday, without reconvening parliament, also appeared inconsistent with the constitution, it added in a statement. President Ratu Josefa Iloilo installed Momoedonu as prime minister Thursday but he stepped down just a few hours later to make way Qarase, prime minister of the army-installed government that Fiji's High Court declared illegal. The maneuver appeared to be an attempt to ignore the court's decision while observing constitutional formalities. But the State Department said: "We call on all parties in the ongoing political crisis to work together to bring Fiji back to democratic government, under the guidelines provided in Fiji's constitution. | | Racist rebel leader George Speight "We have repeatedly stated that upholding basic principles of democracy, the rule of law and international standards of human rights, as embodied in Fiji's 1997 constitution, would be a benchmark for determining our reaction to the crisis." The 1997 constitution gave ethnic Indian Fijians the same rights as indigenous Fijians. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK |
