A joint United Nations and Commonwealth team set off Feb. 9 for Fiji to help the interim Government and other major political forces in the Pacific archipelago agree on the terms and conditions for talks aimed at restoring democracy. The Joint Technical Team's five-day trip follows a request to mediate an "inclusive, independent and time-bound" political dialogue after parliamentary elections scheduled for next month were postponed. The island chain has suffered prolonged internal tensions between its indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities, and had four coups since 1987. (UN News Service)
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