Malta concurs with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon in deploring the military coup which has taken place in Fiji, said Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo.
Speaking yesterday during the launch of Children of Bethlehem, a scheme in aid of the young people of the Israeli city, Minister Frendo said the Maltese government is against the military action which has ousted the democratically elected government of the South Pacific country. Minister Frendo said this coup constitutes a threat to a democracy, and condemned the Fiji Royal Military Defence Force for placing the Prime Minister under house arrest and taking over executive powers.
Dr Frendo announced that since Malta is chairing the Commonwealth, he will chair the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group session that will be held at Marlborough House London on Friday.
Speaking about the EU, Dr Frendo said the Maltese government has asked the Finnish presidency to insert the Fiji question in the agenda for Monday’s Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels. He added that Fiji is receiving economic assistance from the EU.
Regarding Children of Bethlehem, this is an initiative taken by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and SOS Malta aimed at building playing fields and sports facilities and providing the University of Bethlehem with new computers.
Minister Frendo said the ministry has already forwarded Lm6,000 out of its development fund. He invited the public to give the children of the war-stricken city the chance of enjoying their free time “in a playing field rather than a killing field”.
Dr Frendo said two to four playing fields are planned to be built during next year and that each is expected to cost around Lm10,000. He also spoke about the De la Salle brothers-run university which he had visited before, and which caters for 2,600 students, 71 per cent of whom are female and 69 per cent are Muslim. He described the university as an intercultural experience. The minister said SOS Malta, given its experience in similar projects, will surely do good job.
SOS Malta Projects Director Claudia Taylor-East thanked the ministry for inviting the NGO to join in the project. She also appealed to the business sector to donate money.
The public is invited to deposit money in the following accounts, Bank of
Valletta 40015683977,
HSBC 006-070932-051, APS 2000049407-7. Donations can also be sent via SMS on 50618071 for a donation of Lm2 and 50619209 for a donation of Lm 5.