Meet to re-engage Fiji in ACP process

By SHIRLYN BELDEN
A SPECIAL African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) meeting to focus on re-engaging Fiji in the ACP process will be held tomorrow in Port Moresby. 
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had called for the special dialogue when he visited Fiji last month to pursue avenues to include Fiji in the ACP process.
The first group of Pacific leaders arrived in Port Moresby yesterday to attend the one-day meeting. 
Those who arrived, included Pacific Island Forum secretary Tuiloma Slade and prime ministers and presidents of Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Delegations from Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Nauru, Kiribati and others are arriving today with Fiji expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
The meeting will take place tomorrow in Port Moresby and expects to see 16 leaders, including Timor-Leste.
O’Neill had told journalists in Fiji last month that the focus of the meeting was to re-engage Fiji with the rest of the Pacific.
He said the meeting would seek avenues in which Fiji could fully engage with the rest of the Pacific Island nations including Australia and New Zealand.
O’Neill said results were evident of Fiji’s engagement with the Pacific countries and was better for every one.
Chief protocol officer Jimmy Ovia, who received the Pacific Island leaders at the airport yesterday, confirmed the main agenda of the meeting was to discuss ways to re-enter Fiji in the ACP process.