United Nations Radio

Efforts are underway to help Fiji return to democracy.

Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to the interim - Government of Fiji to accept its request for the United Nations to work jointly with the Commonwealth in mediating a political dialogue.

This is aimed at reaching an agreement on the timing and modalities of a parliamentary election to return Fiji to full democracy.

A statement from the UN spokesman's office says the decision follows a recent mission of the Department of Political Affairs to Fiji which consulted broadly with the key political actors in the country and found a widely-shared willingness to engage as soon as possible in a dialogue to be mediated by the United Nations and the Commonwealth.

The statement notes that working closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations plans to move as quickly as possible to put in place the necessary mechanisms for a political dialogue that is independent, inclusive, time-bound, and without prejudice as to its outcome.

The statement concludes that the secretary-general emphasizes that the primary responsibility for ensuring the country's early return to parliamentary democracy rests with the interim government.

Donn Bobb, United Nations Radio

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