Deposed Fijian premier visiting India

NEW DELHI, AUG. 6. The deposed Fijian Prime Minister, Mr. Mahendra Chaudhry, who was released last month after being held hostage for eight weeks by the rebel leader, Mr. George Speight, is visiting India on August 17, the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, said today.

``We will give him a hearty welcome,'' Mr. Vajpayee said at a function to mark Sant Shiromani Goswami Tulsidas Jayanti here.

India had greeted, with a sense of relief, the decision of Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs to release Mr. Chaudhry and his Cabinet colleagues.

New Delhi had hoped the step would lead to the restoration of a democratic and Constitutional Government within the framework of Fiji's 1997 Constitution.

India had been instrumental in mobilising international pressure to restore a democratic Government in Suva.

Reacting swiftly to Mr. Chaudhry's ouster, India had contacted leaders in Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations to emphasise that the Commonwealth's principles, outlined in the Harare Declaration and the Millbrook Action Programme, should be adhered to.

People of Indian origin in Fiji had contributed a great deal to the development of the island nation but had been denied their legitimate rights.

In an apparent reference to Mr. Speight, Mr. Vajpayee said the ``criminal'' who had triggered a crisis situation in Fiji, was now behind bars.

Asserting that India's secular credentials were proven beyond any doubt in the comity of nations, Mr. Vajpayee said the country's rich culture and traditions would be preserved for all times.

He appreciated the role of Indians settled abroad in this task and hoped the new generation would follow the teachings of Ramayana.

Describing Tulsidas as a great poet, the Prime Minister said the Sant's renderings in simple language were widely understood by common people while they also contained immense depth that could be appreciated by the intellectuals.

- PTI

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