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India assures Chaudhry help: PTI

India on Friday assured the deposed prime minister of Fiji Mahendra Pal Chaudhry that it will intensify international action for restoration of democracy in the island nation, including raising the issue at the United Nations and Commonwealth.

Emerging from a 40-minute meeting with Chaudhry, who is in New Delhi on a 10-day visit, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, ''India stands for a multi-racial, constitutional and democratic order in Fiji. We will continue our efforts and intensify international action in this direction.''

Vajpayee said he had held detailed discussions with 'Prime Minister Chaudhry' and ''we covered a lot of ground regarding recent events in Fiji''.

New Delhi continues to describe Chaudhry as Fiji's prime minister. Chaudhry and his cabinet colleagues were held hostage for eight weeks in parliament in Suva by rebel leader George Speight. An interim government is now calling the shots in Fiji, with Speight behind bars.

''We condemn the criminal act of taking hostage of an elected prime minister of a democracy. Subsequent developments are a continued cause for concern,'' Vajpayee said.

Vajpayee told reporters that ''the first and foremost thing is that there should be international pressure'' for restoration of democracy in Fiji.

Vajpayee said countries which believed in democracy and practised it ''should come forward now and should help in restoration of democracy in Fiji.''

He said India would raise the issue at the UN and the Commonwealth.

Vajpayee is leading the Indian delegation to the Millennium Summit in New York, from September 6.

Chaudhary, Fiji's first ethnic Indian premier, thanked Vajpayee and the Indian Government for unstinted support for the swift return of democracy and a constitutional role in Fiji.

Chaudhry said he had held ''useful'' discussions with Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

''I look forward to India's support, as it has shown already, till such time democracy and a constitutional role returns to Fiji,'' he said.

New Delhi had greeted with relief the decision of Fiji's great council of chiefs to release Chaudhry and his colleagues last month after being held hostage since May 19.

India had hoped that this would lead to the restoration of a democratic and constitutional government within the framework of Fiji's constitution of 1997.

New Delhi had stressed that the Commonwealth principles outlined under the Harare Declaration and the Millbrook Action programme would continue to be adhered to. Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth councils last month.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group had suspended Pakistan from the Commonwealth Councils after the military coup on October 12 last year in Islamabad.

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