Commonwealth suspends Fiji over democracy

The Commonwealth suspended Fiji on Tuesday after it failed to meet certain conditions such as resuming a dialogue with opposition groups and holding early democratic elections.

Acting Prime Minister Ratu Epeli Ganilau said the suspension was disappointing and unfortunate, but there was no way the government could meet the Commonwealth's deadline.

"These (international responses) are sacrifices that have to be faced, in order to achieve what we've set out to do. Reforms don't happen overnight, we're talking about major reforms here to the political process," he told Radio New Zealand International.

Ganilau is serving as acting prime minister while self-appointed leader Frank Bainimarama is out of the country.

The Commonwealth, comprised of the United Kingdom, its dependencies, and many former British colonies, ruled in July that unless Fiji met its demands, the nation would face being cut off from all aid from the group and banned from the 2010 Commonwealth Games.