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The Pacific forum leaders who gathered in Australia for the annual Pacific Islands Forum have endorsed Fiji's suspension from the 16-member grouping. The forum has also called for strenuous action on climate change at the UN-sponsored Copenhagen summit later this year.
Frank Bainimarama has poked Australia, New Zealand and other forum members by declaring himself as the interim prime minister, overturning the constitution and postponing parliamentary elections.
"Forum countries are deeply troubled by the continued deterioration in Fiji," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. "Media freedom is being trampled upon, church leaders are being arrested."
Bainimarama has not paid heed to worldwide requests to finalise a date for elections. Another predictable outcome of the 40th meeting of the forum was the call to action on climate change.
